Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has revealed that Kevin De Bruyne did pick up a minor thigh problem in the 4-1 victory against United yesterday evening.
The Belgian was outstanding before being substituted with ten minutes remaining and, while Guardiola was quick to play down any concerns about the midfielder’s fitness, he did confirm the issue:
“A little bit there but it’s not a problem. He made an incredible effort playing lots of minutes, not in Peterborough but he’s back at his best. He struggled playing with pain in the beginning of the season. He’s back to his best, strong, I’m so delighted he’s back scoring goals.”
Understandably, even with Guardiola’s reassurances, some fans on Twitter are concerned about De Bruyne’s fitness heading into a crucial period of the season:
Nooooooooooo not Kev
— Zahib Hussain (@ZahibHussain21) March 6, 2022
Kev, this is not the time, God please 🕯️🙏🕯️🙏🕯️💙🔵🥰
— Nwanneka OmecheMcfc (@nwanneka_omeche) March 6, 2022
Please not now 😢
— manu (@alanrom12) March 6, 2022
“A little bit” will be 5 weeks. Ffs
— Oliver (@OliverJunixr20) March 6, 2022
Injury??? pic.twitter.com/kDpAfrfYi2
— NISH (@MCFCnish) March 6, 2022
He will be fine we have sporting next with a 5-0 aggregate so there’s some rest there
— Majid (@MCFCMajid) March 6, 2022
Kevin nooo we can’t afford another major injury
— Sammie (@sammrealish) March 6, 2022
From the sound of things, De Bruyne should be available to play Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday night but, if there are any slight concerns about the injury, they will probably leave him out, considering they are already 5-0 up from the first leg.
With the next Premier League fixture against Crystal Palace being played next Monday night, the club’s key playmaker should have plenty of time to recover before that match is played.
