Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne appears on crutches after suffering knee injury

ESPN FC’s Shaka Hislop assesses how Man City will fare in Kevin De Bruyne’s absence following his recent knee injury.

Former England striker Ian Wright feels Manchester City give Raheem Sterling the confidence to play his best, while he is under more pressure with England.

Kevin De Bruyne attended the premiere of Manchester City’s new Amazon documentary “All or Nothing” hours after it was announced that he injured his right knee on Wednesday.

It has been reported the Belgium international suffered the injury during training. City said the full extent is not yet known, but reports have claimed he could be sidelined for four months.

The 27-year-old, who was seen on crutches at The Printworks in Manchester City centre, is expected to fly to Barcelona for further tests with Dr. Ramon Cugat, a specialist who treated him when he suffered a knee injury in January 2016.

Kevin De Bruyne will undergo more tests today. His knee feels the same as in 2016, when he damaged the lateral ligament in his right knee – he believes that there’s no ACL damage. #mcfc pic.twitter.com/vtbjaVP2zf

— Kristof Terreur 📰 (@HLNinEngeland) August 16, 2018

“Kevin is a great player and it’s just unfortunate that it’s happened to him in training but there’s more than enough depth in the squad,” City right-back Kyle Walker said on Wednesday evening.

“We don’t just rely on one player. It’s a team game and whoever steps in will do well. Obviously, it’s a big loss but we’ve got more than enough cover.”

De Bruyne had just returned to training Aug. 6 after helping Belgium to the semifinals of the World Cup in Russia.

He was a second-half substitute in the 2-0 Premier League-opening victory over Arsenal on Sunday, coming on in the 60th minute.

His loss will be a major blow to Pep Guardiola after helping City to a record-breaking 100 points last season on the way to the title.

He claimed the most assists for a second successive year although he was beaten by Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah for the Player of the Year award.

City do, however, have David Silva, Bernardo Silva and Gundogan who can offset his loss in midfield. And De Bruyne’s injury could present an opportunity for youngster Phil Foden.