De Bruyne to miss 5-6 weeks with knee injury
Kevin De Bruyne will miss the Manchester derby and a number of other key fixtures in the coming weeks after suffering a knee injury during Manchester City’s League Cup win Thursday.
The midfielder, making his first domestic start since returning from a lengthy injury absence, limped off the pitch in the 86th minute after Fulham defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah fell on his left leg.
The knock overshadowed the 2-0 triumph, as scans Friday revealed that De Bruyne suffered knee ligament damage and will be out of action for five-to-six weeks, the team confirmed Friday.
Despite the serious nature of the injury, Manchester City said that the 27-year-old won’t have to undergo surgery.
PEP: @DeBruyneKev is out and we are sad for him, nobody likes to have injured players but he will come back to the player he is and he will be fine. It is what it is but fortunately it is not surgery and he will be back. #mancity
— Manchester City (@ManCity) November 2, 2018
Confirmation of the ailment represents a massive setback for De Bruyne, who returned from a right knee injury in August after a two-month layoff.
Kevin De Bruyne’s game by numbers vs. Fulham:
100 touches
63 passes (91% accuracy)
12 crosses
7 tackles
4 key passes
4 shots
3 take onsBack with a banging performance. ? pic.twitter.com/4lb88LJqwu
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) November 1, 2018
Manchester City face Southampton on Sunday and Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Wednesday before the derby against Manchester United on Nov. 11.
De Bruyne could also miss key fixtures after the international break against Lyon and Chelsea, as well as a handful of other matches.
City faired well domestically during his absence, going unbeaten in nine matches between the Premier League and League Cup. The only blemish came in the Champions League when Lyon recorded a 2-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium.
