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Manchester City superstar suffers injury in Euro 2020 round of 16 clash

By Rohan Sengupta

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JANUARY 17: Manchester City players Fernandinho, Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gündogan and Kevin De Bruyne discuss a free kick during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Crystal Palace at Etihad Stadium on January 17, 2021 in Manchester, United Kingdom. Sporting stadiums around England 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 Visionhaus)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JANUARY 17: Manchester City players Fernandinho, Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gündogan and Kevin De Bruyne discuss a free kick during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Crystal Palace at Etihad Stadium on January 17, 2021 in Manchester, United Kingdom. Sporting stadiums around England 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 Visionhaus) /
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According to a report from the Manchester Evening News, Manchester City’s star playmaker Kevin De Bruyne sustained an ankle injury in the game between Belgium and Portugal in the Round of 16 at the Euro 2020 on Sunday.

Kevin De Bruyne, 29, was tackled from behind by Joao Palhinha in the closing stages of the game’s first half for which the Portuguese midfielder received a booking. The Belgian playmaker looked in discomfort while lying down on the floor as the doctors rushed to treat him.

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The 29-year-old emerged for the second half but quickly signaled to the Belgium coaching staff that he needed to be replaced. Shortly afterward, he was soon forced to limp off the pitch with Dries Mertens replacing him.

De Bruyne has been extremely unlucky with injuries over the last couple of years. During the 2020/21 Premier League campaign, the creative midfielder missed several games for Manchester City due to a hamstring problem.

Muscle injuries late in the campaign kept him out for a couple of fixtures as well but he attained full fitness in time to feature in the Champions League final against Chelsea last month.

The Belgian international unfortunately suffered a facial fracture after Antonio Rudiger deliberately body-checked him in the second half of Manchester City’s 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Champions League final.

Chelsea’s Rudiger did receive a yellow card in the game in Portugal but the facial injury sustained by De Bruyne had left his participation in the European Championships in jeopardy. In fact, the 29-year-old missed Belgium’s opener against Russia but was included in the squad against Denmark.

With Belgium a goal down against Denmark, De Bruyne came off the bench and changed the course of the game. He scored a left-footed scorcher past goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel as Belgium defeated Denmark 2-1.

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In the Red Devils’ next game, the playmaker featured in a 2-0 victory over Finland, in which he registered an assist.

De Bruyne has proven time and again how crucial he’s for Robert Martinez and Belgium. One needs to be patient to know the extent of the injury, but it’ll be a hammer blow for Martinez’s Belgium if De Bruyne is ruled out of the quarter-finals against Italy in the upcoming week.

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