Manchester City star Kevin de Bruyne will play no part in his side’s clash with Fulham at Craven Cottage after the Belgian was deemed ‘not fully fit’ by the Premier League leaders and being replaced by Riyad Mahrez in Pep Guardiola’s starting XI.
De Bruyne found the back of the net twice in midweek against Arsenal, before being taken off ten minutes from time to a standing ovation at the Etihad.
Having helped put his side in the driving seat for their fifth Premier League title in six years, the 31-year-old was not part of the City squad for the trip to west London to take on midtable Fulham at Craven Cottage, sparking panic among the City fanbase.
It means that his wait for the Manchester City record of five consecutive games with an assist will continue, and may have to be achieved against West Ham in midweek.
Kevin De Bruyne has been involved in seven goals in his last four #PL appearances, assisting in all four games. It’s the fourth time he’s assisted in four games in a row, with no Man City player ever doing so in five consecutive appearances in the competition 🙌#FULMCI pic.twitter.com/1ftFUY0QbK
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 30, 2023
City will be hoping that the issue is nothing too serious, with a historic treble on the cards and a Champions League semi-final clash with Real Madrid to come in just over a week’s time.
Following the win over title rivals Arsenal, Guardiola insisted that the title race was over, and pointed to this game as a potential banana skin for his side.
With seven games left to play, City have two games in hand on the Gunners and sit two points behind, which will put them well clear of Mikel Arteta’s side should they win them both.
