Saturday 25 June 2016 17:30, UK
Belgium coach Marc Wilmots says key man Kevin De Bruyne is enjoying his football once again, just in time to have a major impact at Euro 2016.
De Bruyne impressed on many occasions during his first season at Manchester City but the 24-year-old also suffered with injuries.
And the former Wolfsburg man was one of several big name Belgium players to disappoint when they were beaten 2-0 by Italy in their Euro 2016 opener.
However, Wilmots kept faith with De Bruyne and the attacking midfielder responded, setting up a goal in the 3-0 win over Republic of Ireland before impressing again in the 1-0 defeat of Sweden.
De Bruyne is averaging a tournament-high six key passes a match and will now have his sights set on surprise Group F winners Hungary, who face the Belgians in the last 16 on Sunday.
And Wilmots says that he has a revitalised player on his hands.
"Kevin is laughing again," said the Belgium boss at his pre-match press conference. "He's enjoying his football in spite of everything he's been through.
"He's had to deal with family emotions, with transferring to a new club, and we needed to leave him time to deal with that.
"He can clearly be a key player. Kevin wasn't very good against Italy, he was very average, but he's getting better in the tournament.
"He's asking for the ball again, he's taking the initiative."
