Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has issued a significant injury update on all of Kyle Walker, Kevin De Bruyne, and Oscar Bobb this week.
With all three players now confirmed to be ruled out of Manchester City’s matchday three clash in the UEFA Champions League this week, Pep Guardiola confirmed the latest surrounding their respective recovery processes from injury.
On the subject of Kevin De Bruyne, Guardiola confirmed that the Belgian remains ‘not completely fit’, with uncertainty as to when he will be available to return to match action for Manchester City at present.
“I cannot tell you [how long he will be out for], I don’t know,” Guardiola said. When it was suggested by the reporter that De Bruyne could remain out for ‘some time’ yet, the 53-year-old simply responded, “Yeah.”
He continued, “No, it’s not a big issue. But he doesn’t feel completely fine and Kevin is not 22-years-old anymore, he has to be fit for his football. He has to be completely, completely fit and he doesn’t feel comfortable at all.
“So he cannot express his incredible potential at his best, so that’s why he’s training a little bit better, but still he doesn’t feel… He said to me, ‘Still I don’t feel good’. So if you don’t feel good, take your time.”
As for the injury sustained by Kyle Walker that somewhat surprisingly ruled him out entirely against Wolves on Sunday afternoon, Pep Guardiola has revealed that the right-back returned from international duty with a knee problem.
No further details were provided as to when Manchester City’s captain could return to actuon for the club, or how severe the problem is at this stage.
Concluding by discussing the recovery process of Oscar Bobb, the 21-year-old continues to work on moving towards full fitness following a broken bone in his leg sustained prior to the start of the ongoing Premier League season.
Pep Guardiola was able to offer a development regarding the Norway international, by stating that the current timeframe would see the Manchester City forward return at some stage in January to February 2025.
