Manchester City are preparing for Wednesday's UEFA Super Cup showdown, with the treble winners facing UEFA Europa League champions Sevilla in a highly-anticipated showdown in Greece. However, Pep Guardiola has revealed a huge injury blow to the fans ahead of that tie.
According to the Spanish tactician, star player Kevin de Bruyne could be set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines following his injury on the opening day of the season, the 3-0 win at Turf Moor over Burnley.
The Belgian ace's issue began in last season's UEFA Champions League final, suffering a hamstring injury that forced him off in the first half of that unforgettable game. He made a surprise return for the Community Shield defeat against Arsenal but suffered a relapse on Friday and had to come off before the break.
And earlier today, Belgian newspaper Nieuwsblad revealed that the midfielder could undergo surgery and will thus be out for months. Shortly afterward, Guardiola met with the media for his pre-match press conference for the UEFA Super Cup and confirmed just that — De Bruyne will be sidelined for months.
Pep also revealed that the injury is serious and stated that they will have to decide whether the player should undergo surgery to avoid another reoccurrence. Check out Guardiola's statement in the clip below.
"It's serious the injury. We have to decide on surgery or no surgery but it will be a few months out."
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) August 15, 2023
Pep Guardiola confirms that Kevin De Bruyne will miss the next 3-4 months due to injury. pic.twitter.com/p2uWmRmAPA
This means the champions of England will likely be without their unstoppable midfielder until early 2024, which is a huge blow. Furthermore, Ruben Dias and Johh Stones are also sidelined for this game but are expected to return for this weekend's clash with Newcastle.
While Manchester City enjoyed tremendous success last term, the Cityzens will be hungry for more silverware this campaign. It will be interesting to see how they fare in De Bruyne's absence, especially given his devastating partnership with Erling Haaland in attack.
