Man City handed fresh headache as Kevin De Bruyne injury details come to light
Manchester City have been dealt a fresh injury blow after Kevin de Bruyne was ruled of the Belgium squad for the March internationals with injury.
De Bruyne has again been a key player for City this season, with Pep Guardiola's side chasing another treble of the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup. But days after seeing first-choice keeper Ederson ruled out for a substanial period of time, Guardiola has been dealt another blow.
The midfielder has been left out of the latest Belgium squad as he is recovering from a minor groin injury. He had missed most of the opening months of the current season with a hamstring injury he picked up against Inter Milan in the Champions League final last May.
Having been left out of Domenico Tedesco's squad, De Bruyne will miss friendlies against the Republic of Ireland and England. He could also miss the FA Cup quarter-final against Newcastle on Saturday evening.
De Bruyne clashed with Guardiola on Sunday after being taken off with 20 minutes remaining of City's draw at Liverpool. The Belgian could be seen gesturing to Guardiola in anger but the duo held a lively discussion on the bench.
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After the game, Guardiola gave no hint that the change was due to injury, with Mateo Kovacic having come on in De Bruyne's place. And he defended the Belgian for his angry response to being taken off.
“That’s good. That’s good. He will have a chance the next game to prove how wrong I was, so next time he’ll have it. It’s fine," the City boss said.
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De Bruyne argued with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola after being taken off against Liverpool (beIN Sports)“We needed a player that had the ball and [would] keep it. It’s not about pressing, it’s not about this play and that’s why Mateo is really good with that and [Bernardo Silva] and pull Phil [Foden] into a central position.
“In some positions, he can keep the ball and make an extra pass, arrive into the box. Phil arrived two or three times at the post and in the final third, because I know in central positions Phil is extraordinary. It’s not a problem. It’s fine. We’re fine.”
De Bruyne has been able to make just nine appearances in the Premier League this season, with only six of those being starts. He appeared in just one of Belgium's qualifiers for Euro 2024 as they beat Sweden back in March 2023.
But that was the last international break he appeared in for the Red Devils, having spent much of the past year ruled out with injury. These will be Belgium's last games before their squad for Euro 2024 is announced.
They will play against Slovakia, Romania and one of the play-off winners in the group stages. The news is also a blow to City, who have fallen a point behind Arsenal in the Premier League title race.
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