Burnley [UK], August 12 : Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola provided an update on Kevin De Bruyne who was subbed off from the pitch in the 23rd minute of their Premier League opener against Burnley on Friday.
The PL title defenders kicked off the 2023-24 campaign with an impressive 3-0 victory over the newly promoted side.
The Norwegian goal-scoring machine Erling Haaland struck twice in the first half to hand the visitors a 2-0 advantage. Rodri struck the third goal to seal three points for the visitors on the opening day.
In City's triumph, Kevin De Bruyne was subbed off the pitch in the 23rd minute of the game. He went off the pitch holding his hamstring just like he did in the UEFA Champions League final.
"It’s the hamstring again. Same position. I don’t know [how long he will be out] it depends on the magnitude of the injury but it will be a few weeks out,” Guardiola said in his post-match press conference.
"Of course, he's down because he fought a lot. He felt really good and I spoke with him. He wanted to start. To play for 45 minutes was the idea," Guardiola added.
Earlier before the match, De Bruyne admitted that he was surprised to see him selected in the starting eleven.
Guardiola went on to describe his motive behind starting the Belgian and said, "Maybe it was a mistake. But when someone is injured after 15-20 minutes, it’s not about that, it's about something wrong. If it happened after 60-65 minutes it could be fatigue of the muscle. We have to talk with the doctor and with him. He has to free his mind and he’ll be back for sure."
"I remember one year I think in our second Premier League together he was injured for a long time. He knows a little bit what it’s like. He lost the final of the Champions League after 25 minutes. He felt really good and I spoke with him and he said he felt perfect," Guardiola added.
Manchester City will play their next game against Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup Final on Thursday at the Karaiskakis Stadium, Greece.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor