Manchester City superstar Kevin De Bruyne looks set to miss Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final against Newcastle after suffering a groin injury.
The playmaker has been omitted from Belgium's squad for the upcoming friendlies against the Republic of Ireland (March 23) and England (March 26). The setback also puts De Bruyne, 32, at risk of missing the upcoming Premier League duel against title rivals Arsenal on March 31.
Belgium manager Domenico Tedesco confirmed the midfielder's absence from his latest squad on Thursday: “He’s been playing with a minor groin issue during the last games. Yesterday I spoke to the doctor and Kevin and we decided that the risk is too big. It's better to give him time to recover well at City and then have him ready for the Euros.“
READ MORE: Pep Guardiola's strong message to Kevin De Bruyne after words exchanged on City sideline
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Target Darts Buy NowDe Bruyne missed the first half of the season following hamstring surgery but has been instrumental for Pep Guardiola's side since returning to play in January. He's racked up 13 assists and two goals in his 12 appearances thus far in 2024, helping hoist City back within touching distance of the table summit.
The Sky Blues will meet the Magpies at the Etihad Stadium as they look to keep alive the dream of back-to-back trebles. As well as being in contention for the FA Cup and Premier League crowns, City recently ensured their return to the Champions League quarter-finals.
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The club sunk as low as fourth in the league following a stretch of just one win from six league games in their run-up to Christmas. However, they've dropped just two points since De Bruyne came back into the squad in January (against Chelsea and Liverpool).
It was against the latter that sparks appeared to fly after Guardiola took De Bruyne off with the game perched at 1-1. However, the City chief has addressed the matter and said all is well between him and his veteran midfielder.
Everyone at the Etihad Stadium will surely be pleased with Belgium's decision to allow the player time to recuperate with his club. However, there is no timeline for De Bruyne's recovery as of yet.
De Bruyne also remains critical to Belgium's prospects as they look to squeeze the last bit of success out of the so-called golden generation. Tedesco's side will be fancied to top a Group E line-up including Romania, Slovakia and one other opponent yet to come through the play-offs.
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