Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says Kevin de Bruyne will be out for a ‘few weeks’ after Burnley win


Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said that Kevin de Bruyne will be out for a few weeks after limping off injured during their Premier League 2023/24 season opener against Burnley on Friday.

Manchester City kicked off their Premier League title defense with a commanding 3-0 victory over Burnley at Turf Moor. The star of the match was Erling Haaland, who netted two goals, while Rodri sealed the win with a fine goal in the second half.

However, the triumph was marred by an injury to key playmaker De Bruyne. The Belgian midfielder, who had previously suffered a hamstring injury during the Champions League final against Inter Milan, was forced to leave the field due to a recurrence of the same issue.

Manchester City’s manager, Pep Guardiola, confirmed that De Bruyne’s hamstring injury would sideline him for some time.

Speaking to the reporters after the match, as quoted by the Guardian, the City boss confirmed that it was a recurrence of the same injury De Bruyne got during the final of the Champions League.

Guardiola went on to claim that while the Belgian is disappointed to go out with an injury, he tipped the midfielder to comeback strongly.

“Unfortunately he is injured again,” said Guardiola. “A problem in the same position, he said to me, as in the final of the Champions League. It’s a pity because he had recovered well but now we have lost him for a time so we have to reflect, talk to the doctors, see what happened.

“He has to be relaxed, recover, and come back. He was feeling good and playing good in the first minutes. It depends on the magnitude of the injury but will be a few weeks out. Maybe it was my mistake [to play him] but when he is injured after 15-20 minutes it is not something wrong [with the decision] – when it is after 65 minutes it is the fatigue of the muscle.”

“He is down,” added Guardiola. “He fought a lot [to be back after] the final. He felt really good and said: ‘I prefer to start and make 50-55 minutes.’ He is disappointed but is strong and will be back.”

Published On:

Aug 12, 2023



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