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The disconsolate trudge is becoming a disconcertingly familiar sight. Kevin De Bruyne has limped out of grander games than the curtain raiser to a Premier League. He has made an early exit from bigger occasions this summer. His Champions League final, like his evening in Burnley, came to a premature conclusion. A focus on De Bruyne’s body can concentrate on the remarkable right foot he uses to unlock defences, to pass and cross with an ability most can only envy. It may switch to his increasingly fragile hamstrings. For De Bruyne, Inter Milan may be bracketed alongside Burnley in the memory. His last two starts, two months apart, ended with him hamstrung. “He was injured again, unfortunately. A problem in the same position, he said to me as in the final of the Champions League,” rued Pep Guardiola. “It depends on the magnitude of the injury but it will be a few weeks out.” There will be no De Bruyne against Sevilla in the European Super Cup or against Newcastle in the first major test of Manchester City’s defence of their Premier League title. He could sit out the start of their Champions League campaign. A summer sandwiched by injuries suggests De Bruyne was rushed back. He had said after the Community Shield he was way ahead of schedule; he had targeted the Super Cup for his comeback. “It’s a pity because he had recovered well,” Guardiola said. “Maybe it was my mistake [to pick him] but if he is injured after 15-20 minutes it is not something wrong, when it is 65 or 70 it is the fatigue of the muscle. We have to talk with the doctors and him.” His plan, he had said, was to give the Belgian 50 or 55 minutes, rather than the cameo he had at Wembley. Which, as that culminated in the penalty he slammed against the underside of the bar in the shootout, has completed an ill-fated start to the season. “He is disappointed but he is strong and will be back,” added Guardiola. Yet for how long? De Bruyne may be increasingly injury prone. For a player who has never looked like a natural athlete, a red-faced figure who can seem a throwback to earlier eras, he has shown great durability. He has won 99 caps for Belgium – he would have brought up a century in the summer but for injury – and this was the 587th game of his club career. His 32nd birthday only came in June but to play almost 700 matches by that stage means he has plenty of miles on the clock. Or miles on the hamstring. He revealed after the Champions League final he had played for two months with the risk it could snap. By the time he is fit again, he will have spent the vast majority of six months with a hamstring problem of some description. It has prompted fears it will be a constant for the rest of his career. A reunion with City’s other talismanic Belgian could illustrate it. Vincent Kompany, a colleague for club and country, still made huge contributions in the latter years of his time at the Etihad Stadium but did not make 30 appearances in any of the last four campaigns. He played his final game at 33. De Bruyne should show greater longevity but his appearances will have to be rationed. All of which could create a problem, even in a squad as gifted as City’s. De Bruyne is a unique talent – “what a player he is,” gushed Kompany – and, as his total of 29 assists last season shows, reaches extraordinary levels of creativity. He is Erling Haaland’s supplier-in-chief and the shifting dynamics in the City squad has rendered his qualities perhaps still more significant. The departures of Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan have stripped them of two of the likeliest providers of goals and assists amid the band of attacking midfielders and wingers. Mateo Kovacic won’t deliver as many as the German; should Lucas Paqueta arrive, another able technician won’t replicate Mahrez’s contribution in the final third. De Bruyne is irreplaceable in various respects: no one is a like-for-like alternative and, as he ventures further into his thirties, City will have to ponder the question of who his long-term successor is. In the short term, they can console themselves with memories of Phil Foden’s impact when he came on for De Bruyne in the Champions League final and that, when he was sidelined for much of the 2018-19 campaign, they did a domestic treble. But now each injury comes with the sense that it will not be the last, but that De Bruyne is nearer the end. A man who has illuminated many a game may miss more and more. Read More Kevin De Bruyne faces ‘a few weeks out’ after suffering another hamstring injury Pep Guardiola reveals extent of Kevin De Bruyne’s hamstring injury Erling Haaland at the double as Manchester City kick off new campaign in style

What the papers say Manchester United are reportedly considering a move for Everton midfielder Amadou Onana, according to the Daily Mail. Juventus are also said to be monitoring the 21-year-old Belgium international, who caught international attention during the Qatar World Cup. The Nottingham Post reports Nottingham Forest have had a bid for PSV Eindhoven midfielder Ibrahim Sangare rejected. The 25-year-old has been linked with a move to the Premier League for some time, but citing ESPN Netherlands, the paper says Forest’s approach was below PSV’s expectations, with Sangare believed to be valued at £32m. The Daily Mail, via Sky Germany, says Bayern Munich have turned down an initial bid from Manchester United for defender Benjamin Pavard. The Daily Mail also reports that Everton are close to signing Leeds winger Jack Harrison on a season-long loan. Social media round-up Players to watch Neymar: The Paris St Germain forward has agreed a two-year deal with Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal, according to L’Equipe. Folarin Balogun: Tottenham are considering a move for the Arsenal forward to replace Harry Kane, reports Gazzetta Dello Sport. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

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England are preparing to face Australia in the Women’s World Cup semi-finals, with the hosts gripped by Matildas fever ahead of Wednesday’s crunch clash in Sydney. The Lionesses reached the semi-finals as they came from behind to beat Colombia on Saturday and will return to Stadium Australia to face the hosts, with Sarina Wiegman’s side looking to reach their first ever World Cup final. Australia defeated France on penalties in what was the most-watched sporting event in the country since the 2000 Olympics, with the excitement set to build even further ahead of facing rivals England. The World Cup semi-finals kick off tomorrow with Spain meeting Sweden in Auckland for a place in Sunday’s showpiece final. All four teams left in the World Cup are looking to win the tournament for the first time, with European champions England remaining slight favourites. Sweden were impressive in knocking out Japan in the quarter-finals, while Spain have a hugely talented squad and Australia have the momentum and backing of their home support. Follow all the latest World Cup news and updates ahead of the semi-finals in today’s live blog. Read More Who and when do England play next? Lionesses’ route to the World Cup final ahead of semi-final England reach familiar World Cup hurdle — but this time there’s a difference England embrace a new identity to reveal World Cup strength

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