Kevin De Bruyne is doubtful for Manchester City’s upcoming clash with Arsenal after suffering an injury during their Champions League stalemate with Inter Milan.
The Belgium playmaker was withdrawn at the interval after struggling in the latter stages of the first half of Wednesday’s goalless draw with the Serie A winners at the Etihad Stadium.
He will now be assessed with the situation a major concern for the champions ahead of Sunday’s visit of their closest challengers in the Premier League over the past two seasons.
Watch highlights from our opening #UCL match with Inter! 👇 pic.twitter.com/3KtcRMGhoe
— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 18, 2024
Manager Pep Guardiola said: “I don’t know (what the problem is). I haven’t spoken with the doctors yet. We’ll assess tonight, maybe tomorrow. I will have more info tomorrow.”
City failed to spark as a positive Inter, who created some of the best chances during the game, claimed a creditable draw in their first match of the competition’s new league phase.
Guardiola, however, felt there was plenty to be pleased about against tough opposition.
The Spaniard said: “We faced a really, really difficult team – the champions from Italy. A class team in all departments.
“I’m really, really satisfied for the game we played. I liked everything about my team today, everything.
“We would have preferred to win – there are still seven games. We’ll see what happens.”
Guardiola’s long-term future is uncertain with his contract due to expire next summer.
That led to one Italian journalist at his post-match press conference asking if he would ever consider coaching in Serie A but he reiterated his love of City.
Guardiola said: “I love Italy but I really enjoy being here. I love English football. It is fantastic. I really enjoy it.
“They leave you alone to get on with your job. That doesn’t happen anywhere else. This is a great club. I really feel good here. I am pleased to be here.”
Two of the best chances of the night fell to Inter’s former Manchester United pair Matteo Darmian and Henrikh Mkhitaryan but neither worked City goalkeeper Ederson.
Darmian’s failure was particularly perplexing, with the defender sent clear on goal but bizarrely opting to backheel – to nobody – rather than shoot, while Mkhitaryan blazed over.
Inter boss Simone Inzaghi showed his frustration in animated fashion on the touchline.
He said: “I asked (Darmian), ‘What were you playing at?’ He said he could hear (Nicolo) Barella behind him but he backheeled to a defender.
“I was more upset about Mkhitaryan’s miss. I really thought he would score. I fell into a state of despair.”
Despite the spurned opportunities, Inzaghi felt the visitors could be proud of their display.
“I said, ‘Well done guys’ – they put in a giant performance,” he said. “I asked them to play exactly as they did.
“We all know what Manchester City are capable of. We knew we had to pull out all the stops and play a great game and we did it.”
There was further frustration for Inzaghi, who now has a Milan derby to prepare for at the weekend, with his team unable to get a flight straight home.
“We’ll be flying home tomorrow,” he said. “Apparently Manchester Airport closes early so we’ll be staying in a hotel tonight.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Big GabrielSporting 1-5 Arsenal Who will win this month's Manager of the Month award? What happens when you come up against Saliba and Gabriel... Wayne Rooney, a true legend on and off the pitch. Cristiano Ronaldo in the iconic white and gold jersey brings back so many unforgettable memories! Throwback to THIS Beautiful Moment when Lionel Messi scored his 50th ca...
Bellingham admits 'vibrations' were key to Liverpool snubJude Bellingham has revealed how close he came to joining Liverpool, and the "vibrations" he felt when Real Madrid came calling."It wasn't as close as it was said," Bellingham said ahead of Real's Champions League clash with Liverpool. "There were conversations. There was Dortmund and I did it with several clubs. When Real Madrid call you, t...
Manchester City's Champions League match on Tuesday night was marred by crowd trouble, with Feyenoord fans causing chaos at the Etihad Stadium. The Dutch supporters, escorted by police from the city centre to the stadium, filled all three tiers of the South Stand.After City scored three goals, Feyenoord managed to net one with about 15 minutes left, leading to riot police stepping in to prevent cl...
Liverpool boss Arne Slot insists Mohamed Salah isn't unsettled over his contract situation.After scoring twice in victory at Southampton on Sunday, Salah revealed he had not heard from management about a new deal. His current contract expires in June."The only thing I can say is, if I look at my line-ups, Mo is more in than out," said Slot."I don't think he's distracted at all. I haven't seen that...
Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany said he doesn't fully understand how the new Champions League format worked after his team earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday to improve their chances of reaching the knockout stage.Bayern needed a first-half goal from defender Kim Min-Jae to battle past 10-man PSG and claim a third win in five matches."I don't look at the table...
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. The reason why Man City lost 5 matches in a row Erling Haaland lol Cucuruku Cook that thing… This The Man United cycle. This Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Justtoonit, originaltrollfootball, FootballLaughss, PL__OOC)...
The Portuguese has promised to not sign any Sporting CP stars in the winter window.However, all bets are off in the summer, with A Bola stating that Geovany Quenda is the main target.United are said to be preparing an offer of £50M plus bonuses to secure the young winger.Amorim can use Quenda in either wing-back position, while he is also capable of playing in the front three.Another player U...
The Algerian's contract expires in the summer of 2026 and he is believed to be eyeing a move away from Molineux.Rayan Ait-Nouri is wanted by Man UtdThat has put United are on red alert for a player as Amorim has made signing a left-back a priority.He wants to boost his options give Luke Shaw's injury record.Shaw could also eventually move into the back-three once the former Sporting Lisbon manager...
Mohamed Salah has said he is yet to receive a formal contract offer from Liverpool, adding that he is "more out than in" regarding whether he will stay at the club next season.Salah, whose contract is set to expire next summer, has enjoyed an impressive individual campaign, having scored 12 goals in all competitions this term, including a brace in Liverpool's 3-2 comeback win over Southampton on S...
Real Madrid monitoring Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite🚨👀 #Branthwaite is attracting the attention of 🇪🇺 top clubs.📃 #RealMadrid included the CB in their list of potential January targets, while 🏴 teams continue to monitor him ahead of June.💰 #Everton would like to keep him but are also open to evaluating bids >€70m. 🐓⚽ pic.twitter.com/5lpoomMdyp— Rudy Galetti (@RudyGaletti) Novem...
- 1 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 2 Ex-Prem ace asked Liverpool star for his sister's phone number
- 3 Chelsea make Nkunku sale call amid ManUtd interest
- 4 €60-70m could bring star to Liverpool or Man Utd
- 5 Mascherano nears Miami; Martino exits
- 6 Chloe Kelly sends fans wild in daring outfit at GQ Men of the Year
- 7 Daily Laugh - Antony and his latest ManUtd session
- 8 Mia Khalifa slams rumours of 'affair with ex-Prem star Julian Alvarez'
- 9 Amorim targets Sporting Lisbon's Quenda
- 10 Thierry Henry poses with rarely-seen partner Andrea on red carpet