Manchester City reportedly learn whether they will have Kevin De Bruyne available for Sunday's Premier League showdown with Arsenal.
The legendary playmaker has enjoyed a productive start to the campaign, starting in each of City's four matches in the Premier League.
Furthermore, the 33-year-old was able to start each of Belgium's recent two fixtures in the UEFA Nations League, with those outings also coming on the back of four starts for his country at Euro 2024.
For a player who has endured a number of injury issues in recent seasons, it was a major positive for both the player and the teams that he represents.
However, on Wednesday evening, De Bruyne needed to be withdrawn at half time of Man City's Champions League fixture against Inter Milan.
After the match, Pep Guardiola insisted that he did not know the severity of the injury, nor whether De Bruyne would be available for the upcoming clash with the Gunners.
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Will De Bruyne make Arsenal match?
According to The Mirror, De Bruyne is not expected to play any part of the encounter with City's main title rivals from the past two seasons.
The report suggests that he has suffered a minor groin issue, which is not expected to keep him sidelined in the long term.
Nevertheless, it is claimed that City do not want to take any risks with De Bruyne at this stage of the season, particularly when they face a packed schedule with what is already a smaller squad than Guardiola would ideally like.
No timeframe is suggested for De Bruyne's potential return, but five matches remain between now and the October international break.
De Bruyne is unlikely to have been considered for the EFL Cup tie with Watford, theoretically leaving him aiming for a return against Newcastle United on September 28 if, as expected, he does not make Sunday's game.
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Who will replace De Bruyne?
The likelihood is that Phil Foden will be provided with his first start of the season having come through 45 minutes as a substitute against Inter, a game which ended in a goalless draw.
That said, the 2023-24 player of the season was making his first competitive outing in a month, something which may make Guardiola think twice about a recall.
Mateo Kovacic and Ilkay Gundogan are alternatives, which would leave Bernardo Silva with more freedom if he were to take on De Bruyne's responsibilities.
Darren Plant
