Manchester City ace De Bruyne fears another period on sidelines

Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne fears he could be ruled out for up to a month after suffering another knee injury, claims The Daily Telegraph.

The Belgium international limped off towards the end of City’s 2-0 win over Fulham in the EFL Cup on Thursday after a coming-together with on-loan Manchester United defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah.

De Bruyne had only just returned from a near two-month lay-off with a knee injury and now the 27-year-old expects another spell on the sidelines, although the problem is not the same knee.

City carried out tests immediately after beating Fulham and manager Pep Guardiola conceded to the media he was unsure whether De Bruyne had suffered a serious injury or not.

However, De Bruyne is now expected to miss City’s next six matches, including next week’s Manchester derby at the Etihad.

The reigning Premier League champions have coped without De Bruyne so far this season but it’s still a hammer blow to lose a player of his quality, particularly for crucial games against Shakhtar, Lyon and United.

De Bruyne hasn’t even started a Premier League game this season, instead only managing 82 minutes of playing time across three substitute appearances. He is City’s lowest WhoScored rated player in the competition (6.29) as a result.