Kevin De Bruyne has stopped his ιnjury recovery to jet to Abu Dhabi for a UFC event.

Since Burnley’s opening day of the season, the Manchester City powerhouse has been sidelined and might not return until the second half of the campaign. Though he has been working hard on his recuperation, the 32-year-old is relaxing this weekend.

For UFC 294, he is in Abu Dhabi, the residence of City’s owners; he has been seen at ringside by fans with eagle eyes. De Bruyne has also sent a quick note that UFC’s social media outlets have posted.

He said: “Hi guys, Kevin here. I’m in Abu Dhabi for the UFC fights. I can’t wait to see the games. Enjoy.”

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While he is still a way off a first-team return, Pep Guardiola is optimistic of having De Bruyne back sooner rather than later. Speaking earlier this month, the City boss said: “Kevin comes in at different times, either before training or for his treatment.

“After training he sees physios and so on. Of course I see him every day and he’s getting better, and his mood is good. Hopefully sooner than expected he will be back.”

De Bruyne only spent 22 minutes playing in City’s opening-round game of the year before being replaced. Conversely, Guardiola’s squad has done remarkably without him. Following a recent downturn including back-to–back league losses and a Carabao Cup exit, they returned to winning ways on Saturday with a 2-1 triumph against Brighton.