Pep Guardiola voices concerns over new Kevin De Bruyne injury
- De Bruyne was forced off injured just 23 minutes into Friday's Premier League opener against Burnley
- It was his first start since the Champions League final, in which he picked up a hamstring problem
- Guardiola revealed the two injuries are related
By Tom Gott
Pep Guardiola has admitted he is braced for a "few weeks" without midfielder Kevin De Bruyne after the Belgian injured his hamstring again during the Premier League opener against Burnley on Friday.
De Bruyne managed just 23 minutes of Manchester City's 3-0 win - his first competitive start since the Champions League final, in which he was also forced off injured with a hamstring problem.
After the game, Guardiola confirmed that the two injuries are related and could lead to a lengthy spell on the sidelines for the midfielder.
"Unfortunately he is injured again," said Guardiola. "A problem in the same position, he said to me, as in the final of the Champions League. It’s a pity because he had recovered well but now we have lost him for a time so we have to reflect, talk to the doctors, see what happened.
"He has to be relaxed, recover, and come back. He was feeling good and playing good in the first minutes. It depends on the magnitude of the injury but will be a few weeks out. Maybe it was my mistake [to play him] but when he is injured after 15-20 minutes it is not something wrong [with the decision] – when it is after 65 minutes it is the fatigue of the muscle."
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Guardiola added: "He is down. He fought a lot [to be back after] the final. He felt really good and said, 'I prefer to start and make 50-55 minutes.' He is disappointed but is strong and will be back."
In a later interview with BBC's Match of the Day, Guardiola suggested he expects to be without De Bruyne for "a while".
De Bruyne's latest fitness concern comes at City continue to chase an expensive move for West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta.
"We’ve had an offer from Manchester City," said West Ham manager David Moyes after a £70m offer was rejected. "It’s not close enough to our valuation, so at the moment we have no decision [to make].
"I explained to him where we’re at, what’s been said, so he knows exactly. There are a couple of football clubs in the world who could turn your head quite easily and, let’s be fair, Manchester City are probably one of them."
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