De Bruyne Doubtful For Man City vs Arsenal Tie With Fitness Issues

Kevin De Bruyne is a doubt for Manchester City’s weekend game against Arsenal after withdrawing from the Belgium squad to face Iceland on Wednesday and returned to England.

The Royal Belgian Football Association cited a fitness issue after De Bruyne was substituted in the 73rd minute of Sunday’s UEFA Nations League loss to England at Wembley.

The 29-year-old will now be assessed ahead of City’s Premier League clash with Arsenal.

Also Read: Ex-Flying Eagles Stars Okpotu, Orkuma Join Qatar SC, Umm Salal SC From US Monastir

A tweet from the Belgium team’s official account read: “@DeBruyneKev returned to his club. He couldn’t be fit enough to play against Iceland.”

The nature of De Bruyne’s problem has not been specified, though Belgium manager Roberto Martinez played down any potential issue after the 2-1 defeat to England, saying the player had been taken off as a precautionary measure.

“I wouldn’t say it was an injury,”Martinez said. “It is too early to say, there was a feeling that he wasn’t right – it was more precaution that we had to avoid (something), he wasn’t 100 per cent.”

Missing De Bruyne would be a huge blow to City’s chances on Saturday against the Gunners, with Pep Guardiola’s side not picking up a win since their first Premier League match of the season against Wolves on September 21. 

City were thrashed 5-2 at home to Leicester City in shocking fashion before being held by Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United in their last Premier League outing.