I read last November 10 that he was doing well. But De Bruyne has yet to join training with Man City. Until now there is no certainty when he will return to play. There are rumors that De Bruyne was involved in writing Drake's song "Wick Man".
If he comes back then this is very good, maybe Man City have a lot of strategy options with De Bruyne. Of course Man City must make sure that he is healed and ready to play.
De Bruyne has a big chance of being played by Pep Guardiola in this match and if he is currently in a fit position it will provide a big advantage for Manchester City. Facing Liverpool definitely requires a complete squad because Jurgen Klopp knows enough how to apply strategy when facing a top team that is much more balanced. De Bruyne's presence is still a good option in midfield because this player can always control the flow of the match and can also provide good ball flow for attacks.
If De Bruyne's condition has not fully recovered then I am sure Pep Guardiola will not play him as a starter and he will try to place another player. For me, De Bruyne's presence is quite important because it will give his team more control over the midfield so that they can provide many opportunities as an option to get three points at home and to maintain a positive trend as top of the standings.
It would be great if he has recovered and can play with Manchester City who do lose a bit of attacking power when KDB is not in the squad considering he is a good attacking organizer which makes it a bit complicated if KDB is missing and it happened in the first few weeks after KDB was absent which made Manchester City lose a bit of momentum even though it was fixed by Pep.
Now that she has recovered and is ready to play, this is indirectly a sign for clubs in the EPL that Manchester City will be even better because KDB is the heart and motor of a good attack in terms of ball flow from the middle of the field. This will also improve the attacking quality of Haaland as we know he is always spoiled when KDB is on the pitch and EPL clubs should be prepared for that.