by Kingseyi Fri Aug 17, 2018 6:15 pmPep Guardiola has suggested post-World Cup
fatigue could have been a factor in the knee
injury that has ruled out Manchester City star
Kevin De Bruyne for around three months.
Manchester City’s Belgian midfielder
Kevin De Bruyne injured during the
English Premier League football match
between Crystal Palace and Manchester
City at Selhurst Park in south London on
December 31, 2017.
De Bruyne only returned to training at City last
week, having had a break after helping Belgium
finish third in Russia in July.
He played for the final 30 minutes last Sunday
as Guardiola’s side began their Premier League
title defence with a 2-0 victory at Arsenal.
However, the midfielder then suffered a knee
injury in training on Wednesday, and was
spotted on crutches that night at the premiere of
‘All Or Nothing’, a documentary that features
behind-the-scenes footage of City’s title victory.
Guardiola expects De Bruyne to be fit again by
the beginning of December, but acknowledges
City will have a tough task dealing with his
absence, just as they did when a knee injury
ruled out left-back Benjamin Mendy for virtually
the whole of last season.
“We never know. My opinion is that when you
ask a lot of the players, over more than 11
months, then after he comes back, this (injury)
can happen,” Guardiola told reporters on Friday.
“Nobody knows, but I’m pretty sure this can
influence it. When you are fresh here, fresh on
your legs, it doesn’t happen. Sometimes it can.
“It will be two or three months. We hope he can
do as much as possible to get back and help us
again.
“It will be a big miss like last season with
Mendy. Last season, Kevin was outstanding and
of course for him and his family, you never want
this.
“It’s part of the game for the players –- it’s
normal, they don’t rest. It’s a tough season,
with short recovery times. They (the football
authorities) say ‘let’s go’ and we are in the
competition.
“Human beings have a limit and sometimes
these things happen.
“My advice to him now is to rest, take the
holidays he didn’t get in these two or three
weeks, do it now. Then he’ll start training and
we’ll be waiting for him with big arms.”
– ‘Right moment’ –
De Bruyne’s absence is set to give David Silva
more opportunities to impress, with the Spain
playmaker free to commit himself to club duties
after announcing his international retirement on
Monday.
Silva missed several matches last season to
spend time with his son Mateo, who was
seriously ill in hospital after being born
prematurely.
Mateo was allowed to leave hospital in May, five
months after being born, and his now recovering
well.
“I’m glad for him. If he has decided to do that,
it is because he feels it is the right moment.
Congratulations to him,” Guardiola said.
“He has played more than 100 games, winning
two European Championships and one World
Cup. He is one of the most fascinating,
incredible players in the whole history of Spain.
“He decided. No one at Man City, and not
myself, pushed him. The player has to feel it. He
decided to rest a little bit more with his wife and
his little boy, and play with us.”
City are waiting to hear from Tottenham about
where their Premier League match in London,
scheduled for October 28, might be played.
White Hart Lane will not be ready, as it is still
being rebuilt, and Wembley is hosting an NFL
match that day.
Asked if City might reverse the fixtures, and
switch October’s game to the Etihad Stadium,
Guardiola said: “I don’t know — I can only say,
if that happened, then four of our final five
matches of the season would be away.
“I think when you are maybe playing for the
Premier League, four games away is a little bit
different.”
fatigue could have been a factor in the knee
injury that has ruled out Manchester City star
Kevin De Bruyne for around three months.
Manchester City’s Belgian midfielder
Kevin De Bruyne injured during the
English Premier League football match
between Crystal Palace and Manchester
City at Selhurst Park in south London on
December 31, 2017.
De Bruyne only returned to training at City last
week, having had a break after helping Belgium
finish third in Russia in July.
He played for the final 30 minutes last Sunday
as Guardiola’s side began their Premier League
title defence with a 2-0 victory at Arsenal.
However, the midfielder then suffered a knee
injury in training on Wednesday, and was
spotted on crutches that night at the premiere of
‘All Or Nothing’, a documentary that features
behind-the-scenes footage of City’s title victory.
Guardiola expects De Bruyne to be fit again by
the beginning of December, but acknowledges
City will have a tough task dealing with his
absence, just as they did when a knee injury
ruled out left-back Benjamin Mendy for virtually
the whole of last season.
“We never know. My opinion is that when you
ask a lot of the players, over more than 11
months, then after he comes back, this (injury)
can happen,” Guardiola told reporters on Friday.
“Nobody knows, but I’m pretty sure this can
influence it. When you are fresh here, fresh on
your legs, it doesn’t happen. Sometimes it can.
“It will be two or three months. We hope he can
do as much as possible to get back and help us
again.
“It will be a big miss like last season with
Mendy. Last season, Kevin was outstanding and
of course for him and his family, you never want
this.
“It’s part of the game for the players –- it’s
normal, they don’t rest. It’s a tough season,
with short recovery times. They (the football
authorities) say ‘let’s go’ and we are in the
competition.
“Human beings have a limit and sometimes
these things happen.
“My advice to him now is to rest, take the
holidays he didn’t get in these two or three
weeks, do it now. Then he’ll start training and
we’ll be waiting for him with big arms.”
– ‘Right moment’ –
De Bruyne’s absence is set to give David Silva
more opportunities to impress, with the Spain
playmaker free to commit himself to club duties
after announcing his international retirement on
Monday.
Silva missed several matches last season to
spend time with his son Mateo, who was
seriously ill in hospital after being born
prematurely.
Mateo was allowed to leave hospital in May, five
months after being born, and his now recovering
well.
“I’m glad for him. If he has decided to do that,
it is because he feels it is the right moment.
Congratulations to him,” Guardiola said.
“He has played more than 100 games, winning
two European Championships and one World
Cup. He is one of the most fascinating,
incredible players in the whole history of Spain.
“He decided. No one at Man City, and not
myself, pushed him. The player has to feel it. He
decided to rest a little bit more with his wife and
his little boy, and play with us.”
City are waiting to hear from Tottenham about
where their Premier League match in London,
scheduled for October 28, might be played.
White Hart Lane will not be ready, as it is still
being rebuilt, and Wembley is hosting an NFL
match that day.
Asked if City might reverse the fixtures, and
switch October’s game to the Etihad Stadium,
Guardiola said: “I don’t know — I can only say,
if that happened, then four of our final five
matches of the season would be away.
“I think when you are maybe playing for the
Premier League, four games away is a little bit
different.”
