Kevin de Bruyne may miss the next four months of the season as Manchester City decide whether to operate on a hamstring issue, according to manager Pep Guardiola.
The 32-year-old went off after 23 minutes of City’s first-ever victory against Burnley at Turf Moor on Friday.
De Bruyne was also hurt in June’s Champions League final victory against Inter Milan.
“It’s a serious injury,” Guardiola stated.
The Belgium international missed all of City’s preseason games until coming in as a second-half replacement in Arsenal’s Community Shield defeat.
“We have to decide if he needs surgery or not, but he will be out for a few months,” Guardiola continued, confirming De Bruyne’s problem is due to the same hamstring.
“A decision on surgery will be made in the coming days, and he could be out for three or four months.”
Last season, De Bruyne scored 10 goals and assisted on 31 others as City won the Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup.
He admitted earlier this month that he had been playing with discomfort from a hamstring issue for the final two months of the season, but Guardiola maintained he had taken every precaution before the game against Burnley.
“We could say don’t play, but this injury could happen later,” stated the Spanish coach. “Before making my decision, I spoke with the doctor, the physiotherapist, and him. “He stated that he felt wonderful.”
Guardiola said of whether City will try to bring in reinforcements before the transfer market ends, “We will see.” We’ll have to wait and see what happens.”
On Wednesday at 20:00 BST, City will meet Europa League champions Sevilla in the Super Cup in Athens, Greece.
