Manchester City pair Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden are set to be ‘out for a while’ as they continue their road back to fitness and certainly won’t feature in this weekend’s Community Shield clash with Leicester City.
Both were injured during Euro 2020 while playing for their countries, with Foden missing England’s final against Italy with a foot injury and De Bruyne limping out of Belgium’s quarter-final loss to the Italians with an ankle problem.
City take on Leicester at Wembley on Friday afternoon before starting their Premier League campaign against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday 15 August, but the two midfielders are struggling to even make that meeting with Spurs.
‘Phil will be out for a while, a tough injury, we have to be careful with it,’ explained Guardiola.
‘Kevin is still out. I think he will come back a bit sooner than Phil apparently. But both are still out for a while.’
It has been a relentlessly busy summer for a lot of players at elite clubs, with not only Euro 2020 but also the Copa America being played and the majority of Guardiola’s first team players involved across the two tournaments.
The Spaniard has bemoaned the scheduling as he prepares for the Community Shield on Saturday, happy not to field his strongest team ahead of the Premier League starting the next weekend.
‘Today, the managers in the big clubs, there are many internationals – we cannot work. We are here to handle the team spirit as well as possible, that time when you have four or five weeks to prepare,’ he said.
‘Half of the team is out and we don’t complain. It’s a pleasure to play the Community Shield. I’m lucky in the sixth season and my players know what they have to do.
‘So difficult, the schedule is crazy, so tough.’
New signing Jack Grealish could pull on a City shirt for the first time against Leicester, after confirming his £100m arrival from Aston Villa on Thursday.
MORE : Pep Guardiola speaks out on Man City’s chances of signing Harry Kane and Lionel Messi
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