Manchester City are reportedly concerned that Kevin De Bruyne's hamstring injury could be serious enough to keep him out of the start of next season.
For the second time in three years, the Belgian playmaker was forced off early in a Champions League final, being withdrawn in the first half of Saturday's showdown with Inter Milan.
De Bruyne, who also sustained nose and eye socket fractures in the 2020-21 European Cup final against Chelsea following a collision with Antonio Rudiger, dropped to the turf with 36 minutes gone and had to be replaced by Phil Foden.
The 31-year-old subsequently revealed after the game that he had been playing through small tears during the business end of the season, but he believes that he has now suffered a complete hamstring rupture.
"I've been struggling for two months, since the Bayern Munich game away. So I missed I would say a fair amount of games but it was all small ruptures. I snapped it all the way here so I wasn't able to go on," De Bruyne told reporters.
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"Obviously I missed some games but the games like Arsenal, Bayern and Real Madrid I managed to do it. I had some personal things that happened with my family on top of that and I managed that. the intensity with which I play that I put my body on the line.
"I give everything for my team and the people in the club know that. I feel proud that I've been able to do what I did. It's a shame that it went the way it did for me but we go away winning the Champions League so there's nothing bad towards it."
Given the severity of his problem, the Evening Standard reports that Man City are worried about the prospect of De Bruyne missing the start of next season as he recovers from the injury.
De Bruyne is reportedly set to undergo further examinations to establish a timeframe, but he has already been ruled out of Belgium's upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Austria and Estonia on June 17 and 20 respectively.
Should the scans indeed reveal a complete rupture, De Bruyne could be set for an "extended" period out of action, as Grade 3 hamstring injuries can often take a few months to heal completely.
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Man City's Premier League fixtures for the 2023-24 season will be released on Thursday morning, but the Citizens have already confirmed three friendlies during a pre-season tour of Asia.
Pep Guardiola's side will face Japanese Yokohama F. Marinos - who are part-owned by City Football Group - in Tokyo on July 23, before meeting Bayern Munich in the same city three days later.
The Premier League and Champions League winners will then venture to South Korea to face Atletico Madrid in the Coupang Play Series on July 30, and De Bruyne will likely miss all three exhibition games.
The Belgium international could also be at risk of missing City's Community Shield clash with Arsenal on August 6, while they will also face Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup on August 16.
De Bruyne ended another impressive season at Man City with 10 goals and 31 assists from 49 games in 2022-23, scooping the Premier League Playmaker award with 18 top-flight assists to his name.
Ben Knapton
