Kevin De Bruyne is facing a battle to be fit for Manchester City's crunch February fixtures after suffering a hamstring injury against Aston Villa.
The Belgian midfielder had to be substituted before the hour-mark against Dean Smith's side with the score still goalless after feeling discomfort in his leg, and subsequent medical checks indicate he will be out for at least two weeks.
That leaves De Bruyne a doubt for City's trip to Anfield in 16 days; the Liverpool game has been moved to television and will kick off at 4.30pm on Sunday February 7. With games against Tottenham and Arsenal in the following fortnight, City's best player could also miss those crunch fixtures if the recovery does not go as well as he hopes.
De Bruyne has been outstanding again in the Premier League this season, notching 10 assists to drive their path up the table and into contention at the top, although Pep Guardiola will be at least content that the rest of his squad are in excellent form.
City's win over Aston Villa was their ninth in a row in all competition with six of those coming in the league, and the goalscoring issues that plagued them earlier in the campaign appear to be behind them.
That will be put to the test without their most creative force though, and City are also hindered by another setback in attack for Sergio Aguero. The Argentine striker, who last started a match in October, was due back from self-isolation this week but has tesetd positive for Covid-19 and must sit out another ten days.
