Pep Guardiola has revealed that Kevin De Bruyne has suffered a recurrence of a hamstring injury and "will be out for a while" after limping off in Manchester City's 3-0 win over Burnley in the Premier League on Friday.
The playmaker picked up a grade three hamstring tear in the Citizens' Champions League final triumph over Inter Milan in June and he did not feature in any of the club's three pre-season matches over the summer.
De Bruyne then came on as a second-half substitute in the Community Shield loss on penalties to Arsenal last weekend, before being handed a start and the captain's armband in the opening Premier League fixture of the 2023-24 campaign at Turf Moor.
City were a goal up thanks to a fourth-minute strike from Erling Haaand before De Bruyne pulled up holding his hamstring in the 22nd minute, and following a consultation with the club's medical staff, the Belgian limped off with summer signing Mateo Kovacic brought on as his replacement.
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Haaland added a second for the Citizens with a stunning strike on the 36th-minute mark before Rodri sealed the three points with a close-range finish 15 minutes from time.
Guardiola has since revealed that he may have made the wrong decision to start De Bruyne against the Clarets and has provided a concerning update on the player's condition.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, the City boss said: "Yes he is injured again. Same issue [as last season] he told me. So that is a problem. We need to go back and reflect with the medical team.
"He was feeling really good and playing really good in the first minutes. But unfortunately he is injured again.
"Maybe [he shouldn't have started], but what happens in the first 15 minutes could also have come in the 50th, 65th, 70th minute..."
In a separate interview with Match of the Day, Guardiola added: "[De Bruyne] was injured again unfortunately. Same place and position as the Champions League and he will be out for a while."
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Man City entered the clash with Burnley without defensive duo Ruben Dias and John Stones in their matchday squad, with the former recovering from concussion and the latter nursing an adductor issue.
Speaking to Sky Sports before kickoff, Guardiola said: "In training the other day, John [Stones] made a pass to Dias, he went too early in his run.
"Ruben has a tough concussion and the protocol of the Premier League says you need seven days off and that's why he's not here today."
Despite the absence of two key defenders, City managed to keep a clean sheet with Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake in central defence, while summer signing Josko Gvardiol was brought on for his debut in the closing stages, replacing Rico Lewis at left-back.
It remains to be seen whether both Dias and Stones will be available to return for Man City's next match against Europa League winners Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup at the Karaiskakis Stadium in Georgia on Wednesday.
Oliver Thomas
