Manchester City’s chief coach, Pep Guardiola, announced that Kevin De Bruyne might be side-lined for up to four months due to a persistent hamstring issue which led to his early exit, just 23 minutes into Friday’s 3-0 victory over Burnley. This same issue saw De Bruyne depart prematurely in the Champions League final last season.
Guardiola validated that De Bruyne is grappling with a hamstring setback and Manchester City is contemplating whether surgery is the next step.
The seasoned 32-year-old central player had to leave the pitch during June’s Champions League final against Inter Milan, staying absent throughout pre-season games.
However, De Bruyne made a comeback during the Community Shield penalty decider against Arsenal, leading the team in Friday’s Premier League kick-off against Burnley.
Yet, the Belgian maestro could only endure 23 minutes at Turf Moor before indicating discomfort to the coaching staff. Guardiola acknowledged this was a repeat hamstring concern and though initially deemed a “short-term” issue, the seriousness now begs the question of a surgical intervention.
