Manchester City just suffered a significant setback in their attempt to be the first team to win back-to-back Premier League titles since 2009. Their star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne sustained a knee injury on Wednesday’s practice and was seen walking on crutches later that day.
According to City, the full extent of the injury is still to be determined. Reports, however, say that De Bruyne might be out between two and four months dealing with this injury.
Belgian midfielder himself said that this injury feels like the time he damaged the lateral ligament in his right knee in 2016 while adding that he believes that there’s no ACL damage.
Kevin De Bruyne will undergo more tests today. His knee feels the same as in 2016, when he damaged the lateral ligament in his right knee – he believes that there’s no ACL damage. #mcfc pic.twitter.com/vtbjaVP2zf
— Kristof Terreur 📰 (@HLNinEngeland) August 16, 2018
Kevin De Bruyne returned to Manchester City’s training on August 6th, after being allowed extended leave due to the fact that he played World Cup semi-finals with Belgium. He was also featured in the Premier League opener against Arsenal, coming in as a second-half substitute.
“Kevin is a great player, and it’s just unfortunate that it’s happened to him in training but there’s more than enough depth in the squad,” – said his teammate Kyle Walker. “We don’t just rely on one player. It’s a team game and whoever steps in will do well. Obviously, it’s a big loss but we’ve got more than enough cover.“
Kevin De Bruyne played a crucial role in Manchester City’s record-breaking last season when the team won 100 points. He was runner-up for Premier League’s Player of the Year award while providing most assists for the second year in a row. Since coming to City in 2015, De Bruyne played a total of 142 games, scoring 35 goals.
