The Citizens romped to the title last term, breaking the record for number of points gained as the Belgium international pulled the strings in midfield with eight goals and 15 assists.

The 27-year-old played in 37 of City’s 38 top-flight games and it is obvious how key the former Chelsea schemer is to Pep Guardiola’s side, but they will have to do without him until November at the earliest.

It was revealed on Friday that he does not require surgery on a lateral knee ligament injury picked up in training on Wednesday but needs a period of reset and rehabilitation on the problem.

The former Wolfsburg ace will now see specialist Dr Ramon Cugat in Barcelona, who has treated many of the Etihad club’s players, with City tweeting: “No surgery is required, and the midfielder is expected to be out for around three months.

Get well soon, KDB!” The North West giants kicked off their campaign with a 2-0 victory at Arsenal last Sunday and welcome Huddersfield Town this weekend.

A strong squad means Guardiola should be able to cope at present but things will get a bit tougher when the Champions League begins towards the back end of September.

The addition of Riyad Mahrez from Leicester City over the summer now seems to have been prudent business, with the Algeria international set to take on a more prominent role in proceedings due to De Bruyne’s absence.