Pep Guardiola provides update on Kevin De Bruyne as Manchester City star misses Arsenal clash
Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola provided an update on Kevin De Bruyne as he wasn't named in the line-up for their Premier League clash against Arsenal. The match is currently ongoing at Etihad Stadium (Sunday, September 22).
Kevin De Bruyne picked up a knock towards the end of the first half in City's UEFA Champions League home clash against Inter Milan on September 18. The 33-year-old came off the pitch, being replaced by İlkay Gündoğan in the 46th minute. The match ended in a goalless draw.
Questions surfaced about the extent of De Bruyne's knock as he missed Manchester City's Premier League clash against Arsenal. Pep Guardiola confirmed the injury to be not major before the match, saying (via Fabrizio Romano on X):
"Kevin de Bruyne is out today but his injury is not a big, big one."
Last season, De Bruyne sustained a hamstring injury in August 2023 and also struggled with fitness. It led to him being out till December 2023 and missing 38 matches for club and country. He recorded six goals and 18 assists in 26 appearances across competitions for Manchester City in the last campaign.
Kevin De Bruyne joined Manchester City from Wolfsburg for a reported fee of €75 million in 2015. He has netted 103 goals and provided 171 assists in 388 appearances for the Premier League giants so far.
Erling Haaland equals Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal-scoring record in Manchester City's PL clash against Arsenal
Manchester City star Erling Haaland has matched Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal-scoring record as the fastest player to reach 100 goals for a single club. He reached the milestone in their Premier League clash against Arsenal.
The Portuguese icon hit the 100-goal mark for a club in 105 official games during his tenure at Real Madrid. Haaland opened the scoring against Arsenal just nine minutes into the clash, equalling the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's feat.
Riccardo Calafiori netted the equalizer for the Gunners through an assist by Gabriel Martinelli in the 22nd minute. Gabriel Magalhaes took the lead for Arsenal with an assist by Bukayo Saka, ending the first half with a 2-1 score.
Erling Haaland had an opportunity to break Cristiano Ronaldo's record in Manchester City's UEFA Champions League clash against Inter Milan. However, the 24-year-old was unable to find the back of the net. He was phenomenal last season with 38 goals and five assists in 45 appearances for Pep Guardiola's side.
Erling Haaland has now recorded 10 goals in seven appearances for Manchester City so far this season.