Kevin De Bruyne will be "out for a while" with new injury admits Pep Guardiola

11 August 2023 , 21:58

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Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City is substituted (Image: Getty Images)

Pep Guardiola admitted Kevin De Bruyne will be “out for a while” after lasting just 22 minutes on the new Premier League season’s opening night.

The Belgian midfielder was captaining Manchester City as the champions took on Vincent Kompany’s Burnley at Turf Moor.

But De Bruyne, whose last City match - the Champions League final win over Inter Milan - also ended with him going off injured, signalled the bench midway through the first period that he could no longer continue. He looked extremely unhappy and in distress as he left the field.

He was replaced by Mateo Kovacic, making his debut for the club following his summer move from Chelsea.

Speaking after the game, Guardiola confirmed the injury was once again to De Bruyne’s hamstring, and that City could be forced to make do without their playmaker for a sustained period.

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“Unfortunately he’s injured again, in the same place and position as the Champions League,” Guardiola told the BBC. “He will be out for a while.”

Indeed, a rueful Guardiola admitted that perhaps De Bruyne shouldn’t have started. Speaking to Sky Sports, Guardiola reflected: “We need to go back and reflect with the medical team. He was feeling really good and playing really good in the first minutes. But unfortunately he is injured again.

When will we see Kevin de Bruyne again? (Getty Images)

"Maybe [he shouldn't have started], but what happens in the first 15 minutes could also have come in the 50th, 65th, 70th minute..."

“He has to be relaxed and recover and come back because he was feeling really good, he was playing really good in the first minutes, now unfortunately he’s injured again.”

Burnley boss Kompany was full of praise for his former club meanwhile, having seen his Championship winners down by two goals from Erling Haaland and a second-half strike from Rodri.

“They are the dominant side in the world at the moment. I said we had to get something out of the game, ideally the result, but have to get something. I feel we can take positives from the game. Our team is only going to get better.

"It is like in life, you tell your kids you fall down you get back up. When you have a tough time you go again, you go harder and together. The most important thing is five news players made their debut and we are only going to get better.

"The players we have and the way we play we can improve them. We are going to get better every time."

Alex Richards