Kevin De Bruyne could be set for an imminent return after being picked in Manchester City's squad for this month's Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia.

FIFA on Wednesday released the official 23-man squads for the tournament that starts Dec. 12, and the presence of De Bruyne's name stood out.

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The 32-year-old Belgium playmaker has not featured for the English and European champions since undergoing hamstring surgery in August. He recently said his recovery was going well, but was not expecting to return to action until next year.

Whether De Bruyne will be fit enough to feature in Jeddah remains to be seen, though it might be an opportunity for the Man City star to return to first-team training at a warm-weather camp.

City, representing Europe as the Champions League winner, do not enter the Club World Cup until the semifinal stage. The team is scheduled to play on Dec. 19 against the winner of the match between Club Leon of Mexico and Urawa Reds of Japan.

The final, won by Real Madrid in the previous edition, is Dec. 22.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this story.