Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne is reportedly ahead of schedule in his recovery from a knee ligament injury and is hopeful of returning to action in early December.

Per Jack Gaughan of the MailOnline, the 27-year-old is making good progress following his knee ligament issue, which he picked up in the Carabao Cup clash with Fulham on November 1.

"De Bruyne is desperate to make himself fully available for the title clash against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on December 8," Gaughan said. It's added De Bruyne also wants to be in contention for the matches with Bournemouth on December 1 and Watford on December 4.

Ben Dinnery recounted the initial timeline placed on the midfielder's recovery by the club:

The 2018-19 campaign has been one to forget for the Belgium international so far, as he's yet to start a Premier League game and has only made three substitute appearances in the competition. He also had a knee ligament issue earlier on in the term.

De Bruyne was sensational for City last season, as he was the driving force behind Pep Guardiola's record-breaking team. They accrued a massive 100 points from their 38 games, with the former Wolfsburg man notching eight goals and 16 assists in the competition.

The Belgian excelled in central midfield alongside David Silva, controlling the tempo of games, creating chances regularly and scoring goals. For most sides in world football, the absence of De Bruyne would be a massive blow.

But City have continued to excel without their star creator and sit top of the Premier League by two points following their 3-1 win over rivals Manchester United on Sunday. James Ducker of the Daily Telegraph commented on how well the champions have been playing without De Bruyne:

Silva remains a maestro in the middle for City, and Bernardo Silva has also emerged as a revelation in place of De Bruyne this season.

In addition, Guardiola can call upon Ilkay Gundogan, who came off the bench to score the third goal against United, and Phil Foden, who is rated as one of the best English prospects in the game.

Still, De Bruyne has a lot to offer this team and was arguably the best player in the Premier League for long spells of last season. If he can recover form and fitness and force his way back into the XI, the prospect of City getting even better is a terrifying one for the rest of the top flight.