The Return of Kevin De Bruyne Is Crucial for Manchester City

Manchester City’s £54 million record signing, Kevin De Bruyne, has returned from a knee injury ahead of a crucial week for the club.

The Belgian, who has missed the last two months of action, is fully recovered and set to be involved at Bournemouth on Saturday—and in City's UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg with Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini also revealed Samir Nasri will return, having missed the majority of the season with a tendon injury.

“In this moment, Kevin and Samir are on the squad list—maybe they won’t play 90 minutes, but they are ready," the Chilean said.

“Kevin worked the whole week with no problem. Of course, it was a long time he couldn’t play. Same with Samir Nasri. I hope both of them will be important for the remainder of the season.

“At the end of the season, when you have so many players playing so many games, it’s important to have fresh players coming in.”

It’s a significant boost to Pellegrini’s men, who face a battle to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

They have won only one of their last six league games and are in fourth, just one point above West Ham United and Manchester United in fifth and sixth, respectively.

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Failure to qualify for Europe’s top competition would be seen as a huge failure for a squad with as much quality as City.

Pep Guardiola takes over on July 1, with the club expecting his arrival to spark a new era of increased success. It would surely be more difficult for them to attract players if they weren’t set to play Champions League football.

De Bruyne, who was in superb form before his injury, scoring 12 goals and assisting a further 12, has been a huge loss during his time on the sidelines.

He was injured in City's Capital One Cup semi-final second-leg win over Everton back in January—and City's form since then has been erratic.

His passing and crossing ability has been sorely missed. Even in matches in which he is quiet, he can produce a moment of quality that unlocks a defence.

City have struggled to create in recent weeks. De Bruyne's vision could make the difference in the final stages of the season.

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City face PSG on Wednesday in the club’s first Champions League quarter-final.

They will have to do without Yaya Toure, who has injured his knee, and Joe Hart, who has failed to recover from the calf problem he suffered in the defeat to United in City’s last game.

Raheem Sterling and Fabian Delph are also unavailable.

"The four players [who are] injured are Joe Hart, Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure and Fabian Delph," Pellegrini said. "Everybody else is fit."

Injuries have been a constant issue for Pellegrini this season, something he has refused to blame but privately must lament.

De Bruyne's return, though, is huge. City, who have plenty to play for between now and the end of the season, needed a boost. The Belgian's return may have just provided one.

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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.