After going off the field in the 36th minute of Manchester City’s Champions League final victory over Inter on Saturday, it has now been revealed that midfielder Kevin de Bruyne’s injury is actually a hamstring injury, per The Telegraph. De Bruyne has played with a hamstring injury for the past two months as City chased Arsenal for the league title while also competing in the Champions League. But against Inter, that hamstring finally broke, so that De Bruyne had to be replaced by Phil Foden in the clash.
While City were still able to win the Champions League title without De Bruyne, it is an injury certainly concerning for a 31-year-old who rarely gets time off for club and county. With the addition of the Nations League to an already overcrowded European schedule and City consistently competing in the Champions League, De Bruyne rarely gets time off. De Bruyne has appeared in 49 games for City this season and has played in 40 or more club games for four consecutive seasons.
There are times during the season when it seemed like something was up with De Bruyne as he lacked his normal dynamics and with this coming out it’s clear why. Recovery time for an injury of this nature could see him sidelined for pre-season, where things could look a little murky when Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan leave Manchester this summer.
It won’t be an injury that calls into question retirement, but as another grueling season approaches, Pep Guardiola might question whether it’s more important to rotate his star midfielder to ensure De Bruyne is fresh and available for as many as possible players. games possible. That would also mean more minutes for Phil Foden, which can only be good for City and England.
Heading into another season after achieving their goal of winning the Champions League, all eyes will be on whether City can do it again, but they will need De Bruyne available to pull off that feat.