Man City: When will De Bruyne return from injury?

The midfielder limped off the pitch only 23 minutes into City’s opening game of the season.

Kevin de Bruyne has suffered a “serious” injury and might need to go under surgery, according to Pep Guardiola.

De Bruyne left the pitch early on as City started the new season with a 3-0 win over Burnley on Friday. Tests have now shown the midfielder could stay out of action with a hamstring injury.

“It’s a serious injury,” Guardiola said on Tuesday.

“We have to decide if he needs surgery or no surgery, but he will be out for a few months.”

De Bruyne missed all of Man City’s pre-season matches as he worked on recovering from a hamstring issue. He then came back in City’s Community Shield defeat against Arsenal last week, only to worsen his underlying problem.

City will undoubtedly miss De Bruyne as one of their most crucial midfield stars. Last season, the 32-year-old scored ten goals and provided 31 assists as the Citizens claimed a historic treble.

Earlier this summer, De Bruyne revealed he played through hamstring pain toward the end of the last season. It seems the pressure has taken its toll on the midfielder’s recovery.

According to Guardiola, a decision to send the midfielder under the knife would keep him out of action for “three or four months”.