De Bruyne missed five months of the 2023/24 campaign due to a hamstring injury he sustained in the opening Premier League match at Burnley.
His time away meant he wasn’t involved in the usual cycle of game after game after game, which he thinks has had a beneficial impact.
“I think I’m better prepared,” said KDB.
“The problem is our schedule. We live from match to match. We have to play every three days.
“Because we always have to recover from those efforts, we don’t have time to train. Never time to really strengthen your body properly.
“Even if you are injured for four or five weeks during the season, after a few weeks you have that drive again to play as quickly as possible.
“Now that wasn’t the case. I knew that I really had three to four months to train my body properly. To hopefully come out better and stronger.
“After about ten years at this pace, I might have needed that. To get everything back on track.
“Mentally it has just become calm. Having no stress for a few months makes a difference.”
De Bruyne’s spell on the sidelines was spent enjoying more time with his family.
That included taking part in a scavenger hunt in Suffolk and also watching the F1 in Abu Dhabi.
“I guess just live a bit more of a normal life. And relax a bit as a person,” when asked what his lay-off looked like away from the CFA.
“During the rehabilitation, I actually had a very normal life. I trained during the day, but in the evening I could spend time with the children. What normal people actually do every day.
“I think my body has calmed down a bit. And well, then I went to watch the F1 in Abu Dhabi one day. We went on holiday in October, which is normally not possible. That was also nice.
“Go away for a weekend. Or visit a number of places in England. I never got the time for that and we had the opportunity now.
“So I think that was cool. I was being able to experience different moments with the children too. Or go out with friends.
“For example, we went to Suffolk for a weekend. In the east of England, close to the sea. There we did a scavenger hunt, a search for hidden treasures. And yes, it was fun to do something like that.”
