Pep Guardiola says Kevin De Bruyne faces another spell on the sidelines after suffering a recurrence of the hamstring injury that forced him off in June's UEFA Champions League final.
De Bruyne missed most of Man City’s pre-season programme, only returning to action last Sunday with a 26-minute substitute appearance against Arsenal in the FA Community Shield.
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Guardiola threw De Bruyne straight into his starting line-up for Friday’s Premier League opener at Burnley, but the Belgian lasted only 23 minutes before limping off.
“He was injured again unfortunately,” Guardiola told the club website after his side's 3-0 win. “It’s the same position, I think he said to me in the final of the Champions League.
See: Haaland and Rodri fire Man City to victory at Burnley
“He recovered well and now we’ve lost him for a time. We have to reflect and talk to the doctors and physios about what happened with him. He has to be relaxed and recover and come back.
“He was feeling really good and playing really good in the first minutes. So unfortunately he’s injured again.”
Kompany sees positives in defeat
Although it was a tough night for Burnley on their return to the top flight, manager Vincent Kompany saw plenty of reasons for encouragement against his former club.
“There were some good things in this performance and I have to focus on that side of it against the best team in the world at the moment,” he told the club website.
“As I told the players after the first game in the Championship last season, I don’t want an emotional rollercoaster where you win one game and you’re on a high and if you lose one game you think it’s dramatic.
“We have to progress again and work harder than every other team in the Premier League. That’s our job. Progress, progress, progress.
“I can tell you periods of the game where I wanted more but I can also give you a lot of periods in the game where I thought they’ve done themselves proud.”