PEP GUARDIOLA HAS said he is unsure of the severity of Kevin De Bruyne’s injury.
The Belgian went down with an apparent knee problem in the first half of Manchester City’s 1-0 victory over Tottenham, which forced him to be replaced by Fernandinho.
Speaking after the game Guardiola admitted he is unsure how long the injury will rule De Bruyne out for.
“I don’t know, but if he went out it’s because of something muscular,” he said.
It’s normal after injuries and after these last three or four games playing a lot of minutes without preparation, because when they come back from injuries and train properly to be ready to take a game every three days and that’s what happens.
“It’s a pity, because now we arrive in the best moment of the season and we are going to miss him for these four days and maybe the FA Cup, but we’ll see tomorrow [Sunday].”
City’s reigning player of the year has only completed 90 minutes for the team five times this season, already missing long periods with a pair of knee injuries and a hamstring problem.
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De Bruyne had played the entirety of both of City’s last two games, against Crystal Palace in the Premier League and Spurs in the Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday.
He recorded five assists in those games, including three in the ultimately unsuccessful game on Wednesday.
City’s fixture congestion has eased slightly after their elimination from Europe’s premier club competition, but they know they must get everything they can from all of their six remaining games in order to win the domestic treble for the first time.
Entering the weekend’s fixtures they trail Liverpool by two points, but have a game in hand and the destiny of the title in their hands.
Their game in hand is against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Wednesday, with Saturday’s game against Spurs, which they led 1-0 before De Bruyne limped off, their other against top six opposition.
Kevin De Bruyne receives treatment during today's victory over Tottenham. Mike Egerton
Mike Egerton
City’s last three league games of the season see them take on Burnley, Leicester and Brighton, before the FA Cup final against Watford on May 18.
Last season De Bruyne appeared in 37 games in the league and recorded eight goals and 16 assists as City won the title.
Earlier this week he wrote about how he felt after being told he faced a lengthy lay off with a knee injury.
He was on the phone with his wife after she had arrived home from the hospital with their third child.
“And then, literally, I broke down in tears. I couldn’t help it. I don’t know if it was the emotion of our son being born, or knowing that I was going to miss some more matches, or maybe both. But I’m on FaceTime, on that stupid front-facing camera, looking ridiculous, just sobbing,” he wrote for The Player’s Tribune.
De Bruyne and City will hope Saturday’s injury will not sideline him significantly again.
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'It’s a pity' - Guardiola unsure over extent of De Bruyne injury
PEP GUARDIOLA HAS said he is unsure of the severity of Kevin De Bruyne’s injury.
The Belgian went down with an apparent knee problem in the first half of Manchester City’s 1-0 victory over Tottenham, which forced him to be replaced by Fernandinho.
Speaking after the game Guardiola admitted he is unsure how long the injury will rule De Bruyne out for.
“I don’t know, but if he went out it’s because of something muscular,” he said.
“It’s a pity, because now we arrive in the best moment of the season and we are going to miss him for these four days and maybe the FA Cup, but we’ll see tomorrow [Sunday].”
City’s reigning player of the year has only completed 90 minutes for the team five times this season, already missing long periods with a pair of knee injuries and a hamstring problem.
De Bruyne had played the entirety of both of City’s last two games, against Crystal Palace in the Premier League and Spurs in the Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday.
He recorded five assists in those games, including three in the ultimately unsuccessful game on Wednesday.
City’s fixture congestion has eased slightly after their elimination from Europe’s premier club competition, but they know they must get everything they can from all of their six remaining games in order to win the domestic treble for the first time.
Entering the weekend’s fixtures they trail Liverpool by two points, but have a game in hand and the destiny of the title in their hands.
Their game in hand is against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Wednesday, with Saturday’s game against Spurs, which they led 1-0 before De Bruyne limped off, their other against top six opposition.
City’s last three league games of the season see them take on Burnley, Leicester and Brighton, before the FA Cup final against Watford on May 18.
Last season De Bruyne appeared in 37 games in the league and recorded eight goals and 16 assists as City won the title.
Earlier this week he wrote about how he felt after being told he faced a lengthy lay off with a knee injury.
He was on the phone with his wife after she had arrived home from the hospital with their third child.
“And then, literally, I broke down in tears. I couldn’t help it. I don’t know if it was the emotion of our son being born, or knowing that I was going to miss some more matches, or maybe both. But I’m on FaceTime, on that stupid front-facing camera, looking ridiculous, just sobbing,” he wrote for The Player’s Tribune.
De Bruyne and City will hope Saturday’s injury will not sideline him significantly again.
Subscribe to our new podcast, The42 Rugby Weekly, here:
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Football Injury Injury Worries Kevin De Bruyne Manchester City Pep Guardiola Premier League Setback Soccer