Kevin De Bruyne is a doubt for Sunday’s Manchester derby after missing City’s FA Cup victory over Sheffield Wednesday with a shoulder injury, according to manager Pep Guardiola.
Guardiola said the Belgian landed awkwardly on his back and shoulder in the latter stages of Sunday’s Carabao Cup final victory over Aston Villa at Wembley.
The 28-year-old did not travel to Hillsborough for Wednesday’s fifth-round tie, which City won 1-0, and Guardiola is unsure if he will be fit for Sunday’s clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford, live on Sky Sports Premier League.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Guardiola said: “Kevin had a problem here [points to shoulder]. He was not fit.
“In the last game, the last minutes he fell down in a bad position and had a problem in his back. We don’t know how long [he will be out]. Hopefully not much.”
Asked if he would be fit for the derby, Guardiola added: “I don’t know.”
City were not overly troubled by their Sky Bet Championship hosts at Hillsborough but were made to work hard for their victory by the spirited hosts.
A firm left-foot finish from Sergio Aguero, which squirmed under goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith on 53 minutes, proved the difference and means City, the holders, will travel to Newcastle in the quarter-finals.
“This is our fourth game away in a row and we have another one on Sunday at Old Trafford,” Guardiola added. “We spent a lot of mental energy in the last games and then came here.
“But the players were absolutely ready, we didn’t concede one shot on target and that means a lot for our capacity to read the game. At the end we scored a goal and could have scored much, much more.”
Guardiola felt the game would put City in good heart for the derby, adding: “It’s better to go there winning games, being in the FA Cup, than being out.
“Tomorrow we’re going to watch a little bit of United versus Derby to analyse what they have done the last game, and we’re going to go there to try to win.”
Source: skysports.com