Kevin De Bruyne capped off another fine game in a Chelsea shirt with a great goal against Malaysia XI on Sunday, but he injured himself in the process of scoring the goal.
The 22-year-old, finally being given his chance at Stamford Bridge after spending virtually his entire 18 months at the club out on loan, has been putting in a few fantastic displays during their pre-season tour.
And De Bruyne gave fans a glimpse of why they signed him with a well taken goal in the 29th minute, adding to the advantage given by teenage trialist Bertrand Traoré.
But the ball had barely hit the back of the Malaysian net before De Bruyne had his hand up in a signal of anguish to the Blues bench.
The Chelsea medical team rushed on as De Bruyne lay motionless, scared to move the joint, before he was carefully placed on a stretcher and taken directly to the dressing room for an initial diagnosis and treatment.
However, the Belgian midfielder did join his team-mates on the bench shortly into the second half.
"When he was on the floor and asking for a change, everybody thought the worst," Chelsea manager José Mourinho told reporters.
"But the first assessment by the doctor was that it was not the ligaments for sure, and if it is something in the meniscus then it has to be a very small injury.
"So we believe it is not an important injury and hopefully it isn't because the kid is a fantastic player. Hopefully it's nothing important and he will be ready soon."
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| Chelsea player Kevin De Bruyne injured his knee after scoring a goal against Malaysia XI Photo: Getty Images |
The 22-year-old, finally being given his chance at Stamford Bridge after spending virtually his entire 18 months at the club out on loan, has been putting in a few fantastic displays during their pre-season tour.
And De Bruyne gave fans a glimpse of why they signed him with a well taken goal in the 29th minute, adding to the advantage given by teenage trialist Bertrand Traoré.
But the ball had barely hit the back of the Malaysian net before De Bruyne had his hand up in a signal of anguish to the Blues bench.
The Chelsea medical team rushed on as De Bruyne lay motionless, scared to move the joint, before he was carefully placed on a stretcher and taken directly to the dressing room for an initial diagnosis and treatment.
However, the Belgian midfielder did join his team-mates on the bench shortly into the second half.
"When he was on the floor and asking for a change, everybody thought the worst," Chelsea manager José Mourinho told reporters.
"But the first assessment by the doctor was that it was not the ligaments for sure, and if it is something in the meniscus then it has to be a very small injury.
"So we believe it is not an important injury and hopefully it isn't because the kid is a fantastic player. Hopefully it's nothing important and he will be ready soon."
