Kevin De Bruyne will not need surgery on his facial injuries but is at risk of missing Belgium’s Euro 2020 opener, according to manager Roberto Martinez.
The Manchester City midfielder suffered multiple fractures to his face during their Champions League final loss to Chelsea. De Bruyne had to be substituted off after a clash with Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger.
De Bruyne, 29, is now a doubt for Belgium’s game against Russia on June 12.
What has Martinez said?
He said: “Kevin had a different programme to the rest of the players.
“He was only going to join us seven days later because he was playing in the Champions League final. But that programme has obviously been changed, he won’t be able to relax and rest just yet.
“We’ve got to be very cautious, and we will get more clarity in the next few days, but I’ve spoken to Kevin and he was quite positive. We are very fortunate that even though he has a double fracture, he doesn’t need surgery.
“An operation would have made it impossible for him to play in the European Championship. We don’t know if we can use him in the first game. I cannot give an answer because I don’t have any medical facts right now.
“We are still assessing the injury and over the next four to five days we expect clarity.’ Then we will know what the next steps for Kevin will be.”
How did De Bruyne get injured?
De Bruyne went down injured shortly before the hour mark of Saturday night’s game.
The Belgian was assessed by City’s physios and the club doctor. De Bruyne was seen with a noticeable black eye.
The decision was then taken for De Bruyne to be substituted off due to the injury. He was clearly not happy with the call.
Gabriel Jesus came on in his place, with a visibly devastated De Bruyne being consoled by City’s backroom staff as he left the pitch in tears.
Who will Belgium face at Euro 2020?
They kick off their campaign against Russia on June 12, with De Bruyne a doubt for that game.
De Bruyne will hope to be back for the clash with Denmark on June 17. They then face Finland on June 21.
