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Belgium boss Roberto Martinez gives injury update on City’s star midfielder

By Rohan Sengupta

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 17: Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City during the Semi Final of the Emirates FA Cup match between Manchester City and Chelsea FC at Wembley Stadium on April 17, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Chloe Knott - Danehouse/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 17: Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City during the Semi Final of the Emirates FA Cup match between Manchester City and Chelsea FC at Wembley Stadium on April 17, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Chloe Knott - Danehouse/Getty Images) /
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Belgium national team have issued an injury update on Manchester City’s star playmaker Kevin De Bruyne after the 1-0 victory over Portugal in the Euro Round of 16 on Sunday.

Kevin De Bruyne, who has turned 30 today, hurt his ankle last night after being tackled from behind by Portuguese midfielder Joao Palhinha in the first half. Palhinha was booked for his offence and while De Bruyne soldiered on and emerged in the second half, he immediately signalled to the Belgium dugout for substitution.

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The Manchester City superstar was replaced by Dries Mertens in the 48th minute, while skipper Eden Hazard also left the pitch in the game’s dying minutes. Hazard appeared to hold his thigh in what could be a muscle injury and was substituted by Yannick Carrasco.

The Manchester Evening News claim De Bruyne was seen with a large ice pack wrapped on his ankle after the break while sat on the bench.

In a positive sign, he was walking pretty freely around the pitch after Belgium advanced to the quarter-finals of the European Championships.

However, Belgium manager Roberto Martinez gave an update on De Bruyne’s ankle injury in his post-match press conference.

“It’s too early to say how they are doing,” Martinez said.

“With Kevin, it’s the ankle – he couldn’t really turn in the second half. With Eden it’s the muscle, but we have to wait for a diagnosis.”

In another interview, the Belgium boss offered a timeframe on the playmaker claiming: “We’re going to need 48 hours to find out the extent of injuries. Kevin De Bruyne is ankle, it was a really bad tackle. We don’t have a diagnosis from the medical department.”

Source: Manchester Evening News

Both De Bruyne and Hazard face a race against time to be fit for the much-awaited quarter-final clash against Italy on Friday night. As for De Bruyne, the Manchester City man has had rotten luck with injuries over the last couple of years.

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The creative midfielder was injured before the Euro 2020 commenced but recovered in the nick of time to help the Red Devils top their group and progress to the Round of 16. Both De Bruyne and Hazard are extremely important players for Belgium, players more than capable of creating things out of nothing.

The next couple of days could be crucial for the two creative maestros, as we get to learn more about their injuries and extent. It will be two body blows for Martinez should the duo miss out on Belgium’s quarter-final encounter with Italy on Friday night.

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