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Kevin De Bruyne played 67 minutes of Manchester City's 7-0 win over Rotherham United in the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon.

And the Citizens will now be hoping that the Belgium international has an injury-free second half of the campaign following concerns over his fitness.

The Chalkboard

City have a squad packed full of talent; after all, that is to be expected when considering the money that Pep Guardiola has spent since arriving at the club.

David Silva, for many, is still City's most talented footballer, but there is no question that De Bruyne is key to the team's chances of success.

Last term, De Bruyne scored 12 times and registered 21 assists in 52 appearances in all competitions for the Premier League champions.

The 27-year-old has only played in six Premier League matches this season, however, having struggled to overcome two separate knee injuries.

According to The Mirror, City's medics are monitoring De Bruyne on a day-to-day basis and no risks will be taken with the exceptional playmaker.

Sunday afternoon was very important for the Belgian, however, as he came through 67 minutes of the clash with Rotherham to take another step towards full fitness.

Big few months for Man City

De Bruyne, who provided the assist for Raheem Sterling to open the scoring against Rotherham, will be key to City's chances of landing silverware this term.

Having played against Rotherham, De Bruyne could now feature in Wednesday's EFL Cup semi-final first leg against Burton Albion.

City also have a four-point gap to make up on Premier League leaders Liverpool and Guardiola will hope that De Bruyne can feature against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on January 14.

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The Champions League is also hugely important for the club this season. They travel to Schalke 04 for the first leg of their last-16 tie on February 20 and De Bruyne's fitness will have a huge say in their success in that competition.

City are right to be cautious when it comes to De Bruyne, but the midfielder took a big step against Rotherham as he looks to play a huge role for the Citizens at the business end of the 2018-19 campaign.