Kevin De Bruyne’s availability for Sunday’s Manchester derby (Watch live, 12:30 p.m. ET, on NBC and NBCSports.com) is very much uncertain and perhaps even leaning toward unlikely, according to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.
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The injury to De Bruyne’s shoulder was suffered when the hell and landed awkwardly during Sunday’s League Cup final victory over Aston Villa. While it doesn’t sound like the injury is at all serious, De Bruyne might miss a week or two of action — quotes from Sky Sports:“Kevin had a problem here [points to shoulder]. He was not fit.
“In the last game, the last minutes he fell down in a bad position and had a problem in his back. We don’t know how long [he will be out]. Hopefully not much.”
Asked if he expects his Belgian playmaking maestro to be fit for the derby at Old Trafford, Guardiola simply responded, “I don’t know.”
De Bruyne has nearly two weeks to return to health before Man City host Real Madrid with a 3-1 lead in the UEFA Champions League on March 17.