Citeh fans rejoice
Ginger golazo machine Kevin De Bruyne will only be out of action for around two months following a knee injury he sustained in training on Wednesday.
It was believed that the ligament tear would keep him from the Manchester City first team for the next few months and significantly dent their chances of defending their Premier League title.
Fortunately, after a consultation in Barcelona yesterday it appears the injury will not require surgery, as previously anticipated.
De Bruyne suffered a similar setback in the 2015/16 season, missing two months then after tearing ligaments in his knee and ankle.
Belgian journalist Kristof Terreur reported the news on Twitter and has stated that between 8 to 10 weeks is the normal recovery time for a lateral ligament sprain under specialist Dr Cugat.
Guardiola will be keen not to rush the midfielder back, however, and as you will no doubt be aware, has enough playmaking ability in the City squad in the shape of the increasingly impressive Bernardo Silva, David Silva, Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan to cope with De Bruyne’s absence.
Kevin De Bruyne doesn’t need surgery. The realistic scenario is that he’ll be out around 2 months. He flew to Barcelona yesterday – consultation with dr. Cugat. #mcfc https://t.co/pHUAwHwWMR
— Kristof Terreur (@kristofterreur) August 17, 2018
That being said, the midfielder is arguably the best player in the league and any team in the world would be worse off without him, whatever depth they may have.
Update:Â City have since released an official statement confirming the news that De Bruyne has suffered a lateral collateral lesion in his right knee and will be out for around three months.
We can confirm @DeBruyneKev has suffered a lateral collateral ligament (LCL) lesion in his right knee.
No surgery is required, and the midfielder is expected to be out for around three months.
Get well soon, KDB! #mancity pic.twitter.com/hozcvnF8BX
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 17, 2018