Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne will be sidelined for the next ten weeks through injury
The sight of Kevin De Bruyne going down injured in Manchester City’s 3-1 Capital One Cup victory over Everton on Wednesday was not a good one for anyone, but for City fans it could be a defining moment in the season.
When De Bruyne was sent off the bench, City were in need of inspiration, and the Belgian provided it with a goal and an assist, before being stretchered off the field.
His contributions won the Citizens the game and a place in the league cup final.
Ten weeks on the sidelines
No injury is ever well-timed, but De Bruyne’s has come at a bad time with the Capital One Cup next month, as well as the Champions League knockout stages on the horizon. He is a crucial player for Manuel Pellegrini’s side.
The Belgian international has now revealed via Twitter that he will be out for ten weeks. He wrote on the social media website: “Just got back from the specialist. I’ll be out for around 10 weeks.”
He continued by saying: “I’ll work hard on my recovery and hope to be back on the pitch asap. Thank you all for the supportive messages!”
That amount of time would rule him out for the remainder of the campaign, which not great news for the player or his team.
A crucial player
De Bruyne has enjoyed a very creditable second spell in English football this season, after a failed spell at Chelsea earlier in his career.
He has been in and out of the City team of late as Pellegrini rotated his squad. The Belgian has contributed 12 goals and nine assists in 23 appearances in all competitions this season for the Citizens.
The Belgian may have cost City a record fee, but he has still contributed to his fair share of goals this season. He will no doubt go on to become a very valuable player to City over the next couple of years and hopefully for the rest of the campaign.
Fighting on four fronts
Manchester City are still competing for four trophies this season. The amount of money invested in the City squad over the last couple of years you would expect City to be competing for every available trophy.
City have assembled a squad capable of being competitive in most competitions, which means that boss Manuel Pellegrini can afford to rotate his squad. De Bruyne would have been vital to that rotation, as he one of the most versatile players in the Citizens squad.
He can play anywhere across the forward line, which gives City far more options. He can even drop into midfield if needed as well, if City were in need of a goal, but did not want to sacrifice the Belgian’s creative ability.
I do believe that De Bruyne’s absence will be felt most in the Premier League. The Citizens are currently second in the Premier League table and odds of 6/5 to be crowned champions in May.
De Bruyne’s absence will no doubt hamper their chances. Argentinian star striker Sergio Aguero is City’s most important player, but he is extremely injury-prone and could succumb to a variety of injuries.
If he is injured, then City tends to struggle for inspiration and De Bruyne is one of the players able to provide the team with a cutting edge and make the difference.
City do have other quality players in his position, but the Citizens would not have spent so much money buying him if he was not seen as an upgrade to what they already have in the attacking midfield positions.
Manchester City maybe the title favourites, but the Citizens are by no means home and hosed. Leicester have surprised everybody this season and keep surprising people, while Arsenal are also seeing some of their key players return from injury.
Kevin De Bruyne’s injury is a major blow to Manchester City, but it should not be one that derails their participation in any of the competitions that they are still left in.
It is never nice to see a player injured and sidelined through injury and I am sure I speak for everybody at Soccernews when I say I hope Kevin gets back to fitness soon.
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