Guardiola: De Bruyne 'out for a while' after latest hamstring injury

Manchester City could be without Kevin De Bruyne for a number of weeks after he suffered the recurrence of a hamstring injury as the defending champions opened the Premier League season with a 3-0 win at Burnley on Friday.

Erling Haaland scored twice before Rodri completed the scoring to give City a perfect start to their quest to become the first side to win four consecutive English top-flight titles.

But the night was soured for Pep Guardiola's men by the sight of De Bruyne limping off midway through the first-half.

The Belgian had suffered a hamstring tear in City's Champions League final victory over Inter Milan two months ago.

"He was injured again unfortunately," said Guardiola. "Same place and position as the Champions League and he will be out for a while.

"It depends on the magnitude but will be a few weeks out. He has to free (his) mind and relax because he came back from that position (previous injuries) and he will be back now."

Burnley's 2022/23 season finished over a month before City's European Cup final win in Istanbul.

Guardiola has bemoaned his side's short pre-season compared to their rivals, but they were quick out of the blocks.

"We are still not in our best (physical) form but we have to try to not drop many points in that period," added Guardiola. "It's a question of mentality and we were fortunate to break the game early.

"A lot of teams are going to suffer here, so that is why I am so pleased."