Kevin De Bruyne has denied feeling tired at the end of last season, but admits a summer break of three weeks was not sufficient.

De Bruyne could start Tuesday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final at Leicester, having returned from a six-week absence to make a substitute appearance against Everton on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola suggested De Bruyne was so “exhausted” the enforced rest may have the effect of freshening the player mentally for the next five months.

“Maybe, but I’m not sure I agree with that,” De Bruyne said. “I played the most of anyone last year – in the whole world. And I played the World Cup without a problem. I think the most important thing is having a summer break; if you have that you can feel OK, but there is always a time in someone’s career where you feel a bit less.

“I felt all right and it was just a shame that, when I came back, after one week I was out for two and a half months. I was happy to come back [from that] and worked really hard but after three games it happened again.”