Kevin De Bruyne says that Covid-19 is still affecting him despite returning from isolation two weeks ago.

The Manchester City midfielder’s bout of the virus added to a year of frustration in which he suffered facial fractures and ankle damage.

In his second start since returning he scored twice in the 7-0 demolition of Leeds United, yet feels he is still some way off his best.

“I still feel sometimes that my body is adapting because sometimes I do two or three sprints and feel it, having had Covid,” said De Bruyne. “There is nothing I can do about it, I’ve been kicked in the face, kicked in my ankle and I had Covid.

“After Covid, I came back and trained as hard as I can. With the schedule it is not that easy, but I’m doing all right.”

De Bruyne was forced off in the Champions League final after a challenge from Antonio Rudiger left him with a fractured nose and eye socket. He was fit for the European Championship but played with a partial tear of the syndesmosis in his ankle as Belgium went out to Italy.

His Covid case came after playing with his country, after which he had to isolate away from his family.

“I was 10 days on my own, so I was running up the walls,” he said. “I got away from my family as I didn’t think we had it as a family and I didn’t want to give it to my wife and kids. It was pretty hard to see them through a glass door.

“I was pretty sick for four days. I had a temperature, especially in the evenings, and lost my smell and taste. After five days, it was getting better. Now I’m OK.”

De Bruyne also said he is learning that he will be regularly targeted by opponents for rough treatment.

“I’ve played a lot and mostly the injuries I get are kicks, so there is nothing I can do about that,” the Belgian reflected.

“Sometimes it happens, it is maybe a good thing that you are kicked, but it’ll be like this until the end of my career and I just keep going. These small kicks are sometimes the worst because you don’t see it and the next day you get into training and ‘ooooh, that hurts a bit’ and you play on.”

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]