Napoli confirm serious De Bruyne injury and several months out

Napoli have confirmed the worst fears, as Kevin De Bruyne has been diagnosed with a severe lesion to the thigh muscle and is expected to be out for several months.

The midfielder pulled up clutching the back of his right thigh after successfully converting a penalty during the 3-1 victory over Inter on Saturday evening.

That result allowed them to go top of the table, alongside Roma, but it came at a heavy cost.

De Bruyne immediately seemed to be distraught when holding his leg and Napoli medical staff confirmed in a statement today that he had been diagnosed with a ‘high grade lesion to the femoral bicep in the right thigh.’

There was no official word on the time it will take to recover from this injury, but it is not dissimilar to the one sustained by Romelu Lukaku during a pre-season friendly in August.

That setback forced the striker to be out for circa four months, and it is entirely possible there will be a similar timeframe for his fellow Belgium international.

De Bruyne has a history of muscular problems, as a similar issue saw him ruled out for three months at Manchester City.