Kevin De Bruyne will be out for three months due to a knee injury but will not require surgery, Manchester City have announced.

Tests have revealed the 27-year-old does not need an operation but the Premier League champions will have to make do without their star playmaker until around mid-November.

That means the Belgium international will miss City’s first four Champions League group fixtures as well as potentially crucial domestic games at Liverpool and Tottenham on October 7 and 28 respectively.

It also seems unlikely he will be fit for the first derby of the season against Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium on November 11.

A club statement read: “Manchester City can confirm Kevin De Bruyne has suffered a lateral collateral ligament (LCL) lesion in his right knee.

“No surgery is required, and the midfielder is expected to be out for around three months. Everyone at City wishes him a speedy return to action.”

City are next in action against Huddersfield at the Etihad this Sunday.