Why De Bruyne Is the Man City Player Most in Need of the International Break

Given his performance in the Manchester derby, many would feel Martin Demichelis needs the current international break like no other Manchester City player.

The chance to leave the country, surround himself with a different group of players and train in a fresh environment away from the glare of the British press is probably welcome for the Argentinian right now as he joins up with his national side for games against Chile and Bolivia.

But it's unlikely he'll be used too much between now and the end of the season. Manuel Pellegrini's decision to remove him from the game before the hour mark after his awful start to the second half suggested he has now realised the 35-year-old is shot. This season was one too many for Demichelis. The Premier League is no place for players who struggle to move sharply.

He is likely to leave City at the end of the season when his contract expires. No one could have foreseen his collapse after he impressed for much of the last campaign, but this season is certainly his last stand.

It is perhaps Kevin De Bruyne, then, who needs this international break the most. De Bruyne hasn't played since suffering knee ligament damage in the League Cup semi-final second leg against Everton in January, his fledgling City career halted just as he had established himself as the best signing the club had made in a long time.

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He was at the centre of everything before his setback. Even during quiet games, he would produce a key moment—a killer pass or cross that created a chance, or he'd score a goal from seemingly nothing thanks to his acute finishing ability. The Belgian can often be relied upon to produce.

And his statistics prove it. He's scored 12 goals and created 12 more. For a 24-year-old relatively new to the rigours of the Premier League, having been grossly underused at Chelsea before moving to Germany, it's been mightily impressive.

City have missed him, winning just five of the 12 games since his injury. Clearly, there are more deep-rooted problems, But his absence has certainly been a contributing factor to City's collapse.

But now he's set to return.

He told CityTV:

"

The injury is going good. I am training very well and thinking I am ahead of schedule, so I am looking to be back after the international break. I think that's a couple of weeks ahead.

I'm already training, almost two-and-a-half weeks outside with the physios, doing one-and-a-half-hour sessions a day now outside, plus inside. For the moment, I am not having issues with some individual stuff, so I am doing fine.

I think it's always frustrating for a player not to be there, but from the day it happened, I switched my button, and I'm preparing myself to do well the next couple of games that I will be there.

"

It's huge news for City. His return will be too late to help them make a title charge, but it's in time to give them hope of fending off Manchester United and West Ham in order to claim a top-four spot. City are currently fourth, just one point ahead of the chasing pair.

The international break gives him a chance to continue his recovery without the need to rush back to action. Pellegrini is likely to organise some kind of behind-closed-doors game at the City Football Academy in order to help De Bruyne, as well as Samir Nasri and Fabian Delph, return to full fitness.

One of City's major failings in recent seasons has been their recruitment. It hasn't been good enough, and this season, it has caught up with them. De Bruyne is probably the first unequivocal success since Fernandinho joined in 2013.

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He's taken to the Premier League incredibly well. City have a star in their midst, and his return, aided by the international break, can't come soon enough.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2015/16 season. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard.