Manchester City Issue Update On De Bruyne

Manchester City’s worst fears were confirmed today as the club announced key midfielder Kevin de Bruyne will be out for three months.

The blues player of the year suffered a lateral collateral ligament lesion on his right knee during training on Wednesday, and after assessment it the length of time the Belgian will spend on the sidelines has been confirmed. But it’s not all bad news as City start will not need surgery, which would mean a longer period out.

De Bruyne scored 12 goals and made 21 assists as the blues marched to the Premier League title and helped Belgium to the World Cup semi-final. The latest injury, which is similar to the one suffered on the same knee in 2016 which kept him out for 12 matches, will mean de Bruyne is likely to miss the games against Liverpool, Spurs and United amongst others.

Speaking of his the injury, manager Pep Guardiola said “He will be a big miss. It is not easy to replace Kevin. We are going to try and do our best without him and try to be there by the time he returns.” The manager also advised de Bruyne to ‘take the holiday he didn’t get this summer’.

The strength in depth of the City squad should be sufficient for the blues to cope without the kingpin. And while rival fans will no doubt be delighted at the news, it is worth remembering De Bruyne was left on the bench as City eased to an opening day win at Arsenal, and the emergence of Phil Foden playing alongside Bernardo Silva may make up for the Belgian’s absence.

What do you think? Will City miss de Bruyne too much or can we cope without him?