Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has confirmed influential midfielder Kevin De Bruyne is out for several weeks after a hamstring injury recurrence.
De Bruyne was forced off the pitch after just 24 minutes in the opening game of the Premier League season away to Burnley. Guardiola revealed the Belgian suffered a recurrence of the injury he picked up against Inter in the Champions League final in June
Speaking after the game, the tactician said: “Unfortunately he is injured again. A problem in the same position, he said to me, as in the final of the Champions League. It’s a pity because he had recovered well but now we have lost him for a time so we have to reflect, talk to the doctors, see what happened.
“He has to be relaxed, recover, and come back. He was feeling good and playing good in the first minutes. It depends on the magnitude of the injury but will be a few weeks out. Maybe it was my mistake [to play him] but when he is injured after 15-20 minutes it is not something wrong [with the decision] – when it is after 65 minutes it is the fatigue of the muscle.”
It’s uncertain how long the Belgian will be out for this time, but given how he only lasted 24 minutes, Guardiola won’t rush the 32-year-old back a second time.
The player will undergo tests to confirm the extent of the injury, and thereafter a timeframe will be given for his return, but it could be some time before the midfielder is seen on a pitch again.
Goal