Ahead of Wednesday’s UEFA Super Cup tie between Manchester City and Sevilla in Athens, Greece, Pep Guardiola has revealed that his team, Manchester City, will miss Belgium midfielder Kevin De Bruyne for that game and for the next four months.

Kevin De Bruyne was substituted due to an injury in the 1-0 victory over Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League final a few months ago and also missed Manchester City’s entire pre-season campaign. He made a substitute appearance in the Community Shield loss to Arsenal and only played the first 23 minutes of Manchester City’s 3-0 win over Burnley in the first Premier League game of the season.

Pep Guardiola David revealed the extent of Kevin De Bruyne’s injury, stating that his injury was hamstring related during the press conference ahead of Wednesday’s clash with UEFA Europa League winners Sevilla.

“It’s a serious injury. We have to decide if he needs surgery or no surgery, but he will be out for a few months. The decision on surgery will be taken in the coming days and could see him miss three or four months. I have to say the injury for Kevin is a blow for us. It’s a big loss. Kevin has specific qualities which you can lose for one or two games but, for a long time, it is really tough for us.” Guardiola said.

De Bruyne contributed 41 goals, 10 goals, and 31 assists as City won the treble of the Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup last season.

The injury is a big blow for Manchester City, who will want to gather a reasonable amount of success this season but without one of their key players. The first game without the former Chelsea midfielder will be Wednesday’s fixture between UEFA Champions League winners from last season, Manchester City, and the UEFA Europa League winner from last season and Spanish side Sevilla.

The match will be played at the Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus, Greece.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu