De Bruyne blow for Man City as talismanic midfielder faces a MONTH out

Kevin De Bruyne blow for Manchester City as talismanic midfielder faces a MONTH out after sustaining injury in Chelsea defeat and could miss the Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain

  • Kevin De Bruyne limped off during Manchester City’s FA Cup defeat by Chelsea 
  • The 29-year-old fears he may have suffered ankle ligament damage on Saturday 
  • Results of his scans might not be clear for several days given the swelling 
  • De Bruyne could miss out on City’s Champions League semi final clash with PSG 

Kevin De Bruyne fears he has suffered ankle ligament damage after hobbling out of Manchester City’s FA Cup semi-final defeat.

The 29-year-old landed awkwardly on the outside of his right foot in an innocuous clash with Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante.

De Bruyne went off and will go for scans to determine the extent of the damage. The results might not be clear for several days, given the severity of the swelling on his ankle. De Bruyne could face a month on the sidelines if his worst fears are confirmed, though he hopes any possible ligament damage is minor.

Kevin De Bruyne limped off after an innocuous clash with Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante

There are fears that De Bruyne could miss up to a month of action with Manchester City

Losing their talisman at this stage of the season, with three trophies on the line, represents a major blow for City. 

Pep Guardiola’s side travel to Aston Villa on Wednesday as they attempt to build on their imposing lead at the Premier League’s summit, before Sunday’s Carabao Cup final back at Wembley against Tottenham. 

A Champions League semi-final first leg at PSG follows on April 28, with a trip to Crystal Palace three days later.

Bernardo Silva is expected to take over creative responsibility in midfield. The Portuguese shone alongside Ilkay Gundogan when De Bruyne was missing for a month earlier this year.

De Bruyne is still awaiting scan results which will take a few days due to swelling on his ankle

But Guardiola does need Raheem Sterling to recapture form as City try to wrap up the title and win two cup competitions. 

The forward struggled again on Saturday and has scored just once in two months, losing his place in Guardiola’s preferred XI to Phil Foden. 

Guardiola refused to criticise his front three of Sterling, Ferran Torres and Gabriel Jesus after drawing a blank at Wembley but admitted confidence is an issue. 

‘They tried,’ he said. ‘Football is a difficult game sometimes. I saw their faces and behaviours before, during and after and that is enough. Sometimes the opponents are better in the one-on-one — Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Thiago Silva, they are players with quality.’




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