De Bruyne credited his international colleagues for convincing him to remain, noting that younger squad members actively begged him to stay. The midfielder also expressed surprise at his high level of fitness at Napoli, having completed several 90-minute appearances.
He insisted that pushing daily limits remains his primary personal motivation to continue competing at the elite level.
“Many players asked me to stay with the Red Devils after the World Cup. That gives me energy,” De Bruyne explained. “As long as I still have that motivation, why shouldn’t I keep going? Pushing your limits every day and trying to play as well as possible.”