Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has pulled out of Belgium’s squad ahead of their Nations League fixture with Iceland on Wednesday and has returned to his club side.
The 29-year-old was substituted midway through the second half during the Red Devils 2-1 defeat to England on Sunday evening, a result which saw Roberto Martinez’s side slip to second in the table in Group A2 of the European competition.
De Bruyne Withdraws From Belgium Squad
Huge Blow to Belgium’s Nations League Ambitions
The news of De Bruyne’s withdrawal comes at the end of what has been a damaging week for the world’s number one side, as Martinez’s men saw the Three Lions usurp their spot atop their Nations League group.
Belgium took the lead early in the first-half courtesy of a Romelu Lukaku penalty after the former Manchester United forward had bulldozed his way into the box, before Eric Dier recklessly brought him to the ground. That lead was shortlived, howecer, as England were awarded a spot-kick of their own after Jordan Henderson was adjudged to have been pulled down at a corner, with recent MBE Marcus Rashford capping a fine individual week by cooly netting from the spot. The hosts found themselves ahead on 64 minutes as Chelsea youngster Mason Mount saw his effort loop into the top right hand corner via a wicked deflection.
City star De Bruyne compounded the visitors woes less than ten minutes later as the Belgian captain was forced to be substituted in what Belgium manager Roberto Martinez described as just a “precaution” with the player not quite “100%”. Whether it remains precautionary or not, the news that the playmaking midfielder has left the squad will serve as major blow for the trip to Iceland, particularly with Real Madrid attacker Eden Hazard also unavailable for selection during the international window due to injury.
Further Injury Woes for Pep Guardiola
While it’s not exactly ideal news for Roberto Martinez, the worries over De Bruyne’s fitness will be an even bigger concern for City boss Pep Guardiola as his side prepare to face Arsenal on Saturday.
With former assistant Mikel Arteta returning to the Etihad, it should conjure up an intriguing affair. Yet former Barcelona manager Guardiola will no doubt be worried by the potential absence of a number of key men, including De Bruyne. The club have already seen Gabriel Jesus succumb to injury in the early weeks of the season, while fellow forward Raheem Sterling was also forced to withdraw from the England squad last week and remains a doubt for the visit of the Gunners.
The fact that City may well be without all three men on Saturday is particularly worrying for both Guardiola and supporters, although the news that star striker Sergio Aguero has returned to full training should somewhat soften the blow – particularly if he is in fact available to face Arteta’s side having not featured for the club since 22 June.
Main Photo
Embed from Getty Images
