Manchester City confirm timescale for De Bruyne's injury

Manchester City have confirmed that Kevin De Bruyne could be sidelined for upto three months after picking up a knee ligament injury in training.

The Belgium international sustained the damage on Wednesday and reports thereafter suggested that he could miss the first half of the ongoing campaign.

However, City have now revealed that the injury is not serious and De Bruyne could return by mid-November at the least as he does not require an operation.

"We can confirm @DeBruyneKev has suffered a lateral collateral ligament (LCL) lesion in his right knee. No surgery is required, and the midfielder is expected to be out for around three months," City tweeted.

De Bruyne was hugely influential towards City's League and Cup double last term and he ended the campaign with 21 assists and a further 12 goals across all competitions.

In his absence, Ilkay Gundogan is likely to slot into the heart of the midfield but City are likely to miss the creativity the Belgian has brought forward over the past few seasons.