MANCHESTER, England : Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has no idea when midfielder Kevin de Bruyne will return from injury he said on Friday, adding the Belgian will not feature in Saturday's game against struggling Southampton.The 33-year-old De Bruyne was injured against Inter Milan in the Champions League last month and has missed seven fixtures since."I don't know," Guardiola said, when asked when De Bruyne might return. "Of course, I prefer to have all the squad, with the amount of games, but it is what it is.
So hopefully come back soon. But I don't know yet."De Bruyne missed five months last season after having hamstring surgery and Guardiola batted away questions about whether his current injury could be a long-term concern.
City will also be missing Kyle Walker, Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish when they look for a win that would put them provisionally top of the standings.
Guardiola's men have 20 points, one behind Liverpool after eight matches. Liverpool travel to third-placed Arsenal on Sunday.