Is Kevin De Bruyne Injured? Manchester City Star Ruled Out of Starting XI Against Bournemouth

In a matter of hours, a thrilling soccer encounter is scheduled at the Vitality Stadium where we will witness defending champions, Manchester City going head-to-head with Bournemouth. However, it appears uncertainties regarding the participation of Kevin De Bruyne might prevent fans from witnessing his expertise in today’s match owing to his recent injury scare.

There has been much speculation about the 32-year-old’s health since he was absent from the game against Brentford. Now, current reports indicate that the Belgian midfielder will not be positioned in the starting line-up for today’s encounter. While confirmed traveling with his team to Bournemouth, it seems regrettable that De Bruyne won’t be able to initially take part in the match.

With regard to his injury status, Man City’s manager Pep Guardiola recently stated, “He’s not injured. I don’t know if he’s 100% but I think we made a good decision not to take a risk (against Brentford). We took a decision because he did not feel comfortable.” These statements hint at concerns over possible strain or under-preparedness rather than an explicit injury confirmation. Manchester Evening news had reported that Guardiola confirmed City would assess De Bruyne on Friday prior to taking a call.

Despite these assessments suggesting Kevin De Bruyne’s incapability of starting the match, there still exists a potential route for him to begin off-bench and gradually gain some playing time as progress unfolds on-field. Only time will reveal what unfolds and the severity of Kevin De Bruyne’s situation. The Belgian aside, Pep Guardiola will also be missing Jack Grealish and Josko Gvardiol in the upcoming match.

Kevin De Bruyne is not Pep Guardiola’s biggest injury concern at the moment

English winger Jack Grealish has spent the entire month sidelined with a groin injury. On the other hand, his teammate, Josko Gvardiol, has missed four matches thanks to an ankle injury. Although these stellar athletes continue their recovery progress, they remain unavailable this week for selection. However, signs point towards them making a return soon as relayed by the Spanish manager.

Read More: Pep Guardiola Highlights Gameplan to Fix Erling Haaland & Co.’s Slump in Scoring & Defends Manchester City’s ‘Creativity’

One can argue that Manchester City might be  at a bit of a disadvantage because of these big-name absences. The forthcoming fixture undoubtedly generates intrigue around whether the Cityzens can mirror their previous encounter when they triumphed over Bournemouth with an impressive 6-1 victory. Or if this time it could swing in favor of The Cherries.