Kevin De Bruyne will be out for three months due to a knee injury but will not require surgery, Manchester City have confirmed.
The midfielder suffered a lateral collateral ligament (LCL) lesion in his right knee during a training session.
Manchester City are coming to terms with the loss of Kevin De Bruyne to a knee injury – but how will the champions cope without last season’s title-winning talisman?
With tests ongoing, the exact length of De Bruyne’s absence remains unclear, but initial fears have ruled the Belgium international out for between two and four months.
Many have backed Pep Guardiola and his star-studded City squad to take De Bruyne’s injury in their stride, but will his spell on sidelines be as seamless as predicted?
With and without De Bruyne
City find themselves in uncharted waters. Since joining the club in 2015, De Bruyne has failed to start just 20 Premier League games, but now the champions have to make do without him for a sizeable chunk of the season.
Whether it be goals, assists, second assists, successful passes, overall chances created or chances created from set pieces and open play, De Bruyne has been City’s – and in most cases the Premier League’s – standout performer since arriving in Manchester.
Unsurprisingly, without the Belgian’s influence, City’s figures dip in almost every department.
Where will De Bruyne be missed the most?
It seems a silly question to ask given the quality De Bruyne displayed in City’s title-winning campaign, after all, the absence of one of the league’s most effective, technically gifted and intelligent players would weaken any team.
But while City have players capable of shouldering the burden in a number of departments, there’s one area that will feel his absence more than most – set pieces.
Only Gylfi Sigurdsson and Christian Eriksen have created more chance from set plays since De Bruyne’s debut in September 2015, and with no other City player featuring in the top 10, it’s clear they don’t have a like-for-like replacement.
Previous from Pep
Speaking on The Debate, Craig Bellamy backed a manager of Guardiola’s calibre to cope with the loss of De Bruyne.
“With the quality City have, the way the play and especially with the manager they have, if they need to tweak the system to suit the players who are available the best coach I’ve seen in England – Pep Guardiola – can,” the former City forward said.