Manchester City have clear Kevin De Bruyne successor as verdict delivered ahead of Arsenal

Kevin De Bruyne's latest setback has come at the wrong time putting him as a major doubt to face Arsenal on Sunday.

Manchester City will host Mikel Arteta's team in the title showdown and the 33-year-old, could miss out after suffering a suspected groin injury just before half-time in City's Champions League goalless opener against Inter Milan on Wednesday. De Bruyne received treatment from City's medical staff and was withdrawn.

Pep Guardiola claimed it was too early to assess the extent of the issue. As a result, he is a major doubt for Sunday and City are unwilling to risk playing him and potentially lose him out for even longer.

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Ilkay Gundogan, who replaced the Belgian, is likely to do the same against Arsenal while Phil Foden is also in contention to start after returning from illness against Inter. De Bruyne is in the final year of his contract at the Etihad and continues to attract interest from the Saudi Pro League.

Last season, the midfielder was sidelined for a lengthy period between August and December with a hamstring injury. While City must plan for the life after De Bruyne, they may not have to look any further with Phil Foden seen as his natural successor.

The Belgian has already given his clear thoughts on where he thinks Foden will thrive. "I think he [Foden] will end up centrally," he previously told Sky Sports.

"I have seen Phil from the beginning and he was always a number 10. I think it’s hard to understand everything you need to do in a Pep [Guardiola] team and I don’t think it was necessarily offensive in the beginning, but it’s more the structure and then you get a little bit more freedom.

"Phil gets trusted to play central and even today, we did not play with any wingers so we both played a little bit centrally and had to go on the wing sometimes. He does what he does that he has done for six or seven years already and it’s not like he has just come on the scene, he has done it for years. He has helped us win titles and this year he has gone up another level."

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