Manchester City are rolling right now, pushing themselves to near the top of the table, after a very slow start to the season. Now we”ll see if they keep can keep it up, despite the loss of their best player, arguably, in midfielder Kevin De Bruyne.
The big Belgian and midfield maestro has suffered a hamstring injury that could see him miss out on as many as the next nine matches. Even the most optimistic timeline would see De Bruyne out of commission for the next five Premier League matches, including two crunch clashes against Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
In the worst case scenario plays out, De Bruyne could miss the first leg of the Borussia Monchengladbach tie in the UEFA Champions League knockout round and an upcoming league match against Arsenal.
On Friday, manager Pep Guardiola spoke of the impact De Bruyne has on the team, and the timeline of his return.
โKevin, the doctor had to review the scan this morning,” the City boss said, ahead of his side’s FA Cup 4th round clash against Cheltenham Town this weekend (team news and starting XI prediction at this link).
“And he will be out between four and six weeks. We have to move forward. Iโm not saying that nobody doesnโt know about his importance.
“Unfortunately for him and us, heโll be out for an important part of the season, and we have to find a solution because everyoneโs struggling in this situation, and we have to adapt.”
โThe players donโt want to get injured, but theyโre human. Why in the FA Cup can we use five subs but in the league not? It is a different competition. Is it a special one? Itโs not just because itโs Kevin. It is everyone for the past five seasons. It is too many games.โ
Additionally, Guardiola said that Kyle Walker will miss out on the weekend clash, with an injury that is thought to be just a knock, and not too serious. City are undefeated in their last 10 Premier League matches, having won eight over that span.
Paul M. Banks runsย The Sports Bank, partnered withย News Now.ย Banks, the author ofย โNo, I Canโt Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,โ has regularly appeared inย WGN,ย Sports Illustrated,ย Chicago Tribuneย andย SB Nation.ย Follow himย onย Twitterย andย Instagram.
