Kevin De Bruyne sustained a knee injury in training on Wednesday with Manchester City and will miss at least 3 months of the season, the club has confirmed.
De Bruyne has been undoubtedly one of City’s standout performers in recent years under manager Pep Guardiola and last season he was absolutely instrumental in propelling the team towards the Premier League title with a record haul of 100 points. The Belgian midfielder moved to The Etihad from Wolfsburg in 2015 and has since gone on to make 143 appearances for the club, scoring 35 goals.
The 27-year-old spent the summer with Belgium at the World Cup in Russia and transferred his domestic form onto the biggest stage, helping Roberto Martinez’ side reach the semifinals of the competition. They ultimately lost 1-0 to eventual champions France but De-Bruyne excelled throughout the tournament and drove his country forward with his explosive style of play.
SEE ALSO: The reason behind Man City pulling out of Alexis Sanchez transfer race last season
“We can dominate the English game” – Man City defender makes bold claim in early stages of the new season
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho jealous of style of football played by Liverpool and Man City, says Chris Sutton
According to The Daily Telegraph, the midfield maestro is now set to miss the start of the season for Guardiola’s outfit, having suffered knee ligament damage in training this week. The club has announced that he will be out of action for at least three months, in a statement released today which reads: “Manchester City can confirm Kevin De Bruyne has suffered a lateral collateral ligament (LCL) lesion in his right knee.
“No surgery is required, and the midfielder is expected to be out for around three months. Everyone at City wishes him a speedy return to action.”
This news will come as a real blow to the squad and indeed the club’s supporters as the 2018-19 Premier League continues this weekend, with City due to take on Huddersfield at home on Sunday.
The loss of De Bruyne will leave an impossible gap to fill in Guardiola’s midfield, but they do have plenty of top quality able-bodied replacements to fill his shoes during his time on the sidelines, including Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, David Silva and Phil Foden.