Major blow for Napoli, Belgium as Kevin De Bruyne ruled out till 2026

Napoli had its fears confirmed by news that Kevin De Bruyne has a severe lesion to his thigh muscle and will be sidelined for several months.

De Bruyne immediately pulled up and clutched the back of his right thigh on Saturday after converting a penalty to set Napoli on the way to a 3-1 win over Inter Milan in Serie A.

The former Manchester City midfielder looked distraught and had to be helped off the field by two medical staff. He was later seen on the bench with his thigh heavily strapped and crutches alongside him.

Kevin De Bruyne underwent instrumental tests at the Pineta Grande Hospital and that showed a high-grade lesion to the femoral bicep in his right thigh, Napoli said in a statement on Monday.

 

The player has already started the rehabilitation process.

The Serie A team did not indicate when De Bruyne was expected back but Napoli and Belgium teammate Romelu Lukaku suffered a similar injury during a preseason friendly and he will likely be back in January.

The penalty took De Bruyne's tally to four goals in eight Serie A matches. It also helped to send Napoli to a share of the Serie A lead but at a hefty cost.

Fellow midfielder Stanislav Lobotka was also out injured and Frank Anguissa will be with Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations over December and January.

The news is also a blow to Belgium which has crucial World Cup qualifiers next month. De Bruyne has netted six goals in his past five matches for his country.