Manchester City have confirmed Kevin De Bruyne has suffered a left knee ligament damage has will be sidelined for around three months.
De Bruyne sustained a freak knee injury in training earlier this week and has since flown to Barcelona to see specialist Ramon Cugat for a definitive verdict.
City were hopeful that the Belgium international would be out for two months but the Premier League champions have now confirmed he will likely serve a rehabilitation period of 12 weeks.
"Manchester City can confirm Kevin De Bruyne has suffered a lateral collateral ligament (LCL) lesion in his left knee," a statement read on the club's official website. "No surgery is required, and the midfielder is expected to be out for around three months."
Despite avoiding the need for surgery, news that De Bruyne will miss nearly all of the first half of the campaign is a blow for Pep Guardiola's side.
De Bruyne is regarded as one of the best players in the Premier League and played an integral part in City's league and cup double success last term.
As well as missing a large portion of City's Champions League group stage, De Bruyne could also be ruled out of 11 Premier League matches, including the Manchester derby and games against Tottenham and Liverpool.
Of Premier League players that made more than 25 appearances last season, De Bruyne (7.80) garnered the highest WhoScored rating, while also providing the most assists in Europe's top five leagues (16).
