Kevin De Bruyne admitted his recent hamstring injury was "a huge blow to me physically and mentally," but he vowed to fully recover.
The 32-year-old limped off the pitch after just 23 minutes in his first Premier League game in 2023/24. City ended up beating Burnley 3-0 in this game but he is expected to be out for a long time, some time after undergoing surgery this week.
Manchester City won their first game without De Bruyne, beating Sevilla 5-4 on penalties to lift the Super Cup, but Guardiola admitted that the Belgian's recent hamstring problem could leave him out until 2024, which clouded the result.
De Bruyne posted on social media for the first time after undergoing surgery: "The news after the Burnley game was a huge blow to me both physically and mentally. Now that the surgery is done, I'm ready to heal my pain. "The body is recovering well, get back to work as soon as possible, thank you for your support."
The injury is very similar to Kevin De Bruyne's Champions League final last season, which led him to end the game early. After the final, De Bruyne admitted that he had been battling a "broken hamstring" for the last two months of the 2022/23 season, but it finally got worse after doctors warned of the possible consequences of continuing to play.
"I've been struggling for two months since Bayern Munich away from home, all small breaks, but today I broke it all so I can't continue," De Bruyne said after the game. "For two months I have been told that I could be in danger, but, you know, you accept it. I try to prepare my team and I know that, with a player of my type, sometimes I have the potential to put my body at risk with my strength, type of movement and intensity of the game. But that's good. I did everything I could to win the game. Sometimes it's hard. In the final, the hamstring broke. ”
While this is not a direct consequence of Kevin De Bruyne's injury, City have been looking for options to bolster their midfield after understanding the severity of Kevin De Bruyne's injury, with West Ham United's Lucas Paqueta being Pep Guardiola's first choice. However, due to an investigation into possible betting irregularities, the 25-year-old Brazilian's transfer has been halted. In any case, City have yet to meet West Ham's asking price, with it revealed that the initial £70 million verbal offer has been rejected by last season's divisional league champions.