Kevin De Bruyne has taken a break from his ιnjury rehab – by jetting to Abu Dhabi for a UFC show.

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The Manchester City superstar has been sidelined since the opening day of the season at Burnley and may not be back in action until the second half of the campaign. The 32-year-old has been working hard оn his recovery, but is enjoying a bit of downtime this weekend.

He is in Abu Dhabi, the home of City’s owners, for UFC 294 and has been spotted at ringside by eagle-eyed fans. De Bruyne has also issued a brief message, which has been shared on UFC’s social media channels.

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.”

In City’s opening-round match of the year, De Bruyne played for just 22 minutes before being replaced. Guardiola’s team, on the other hand, has performed admirably without him. After a recent slump that included back-to-back league losses and a Carabao Cup exit, they returned to winning ways on Saturday with a 2-1 victory against Brighton.