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Manchester City always knew they were going to have their work cut out to try and match the achievements of last season after winning the treble. And now they will be without arguably their most important player for a huge chunk of the campaign after it was revealed Kevin De Bruyne may need to undergo surgery to treat a serious hamstring injury.
De Bruyne contributed to a stonking 42 goals last season, scoring 10 times and providing 32 assists. And he delivered at pivotal moments, grabbing the first goal in the title decider against Arsenal, firing in a stunning equaliser from long-range against Real Madrid in the first leg of City's Champions League semi-final tie, and setting up Ilkay Gundogan's winner in the FA Cup final against Manchester United, to name just a few instances.
City still have a squad capable of winning the Premier League and going deep in cup competitions, but things will be far harder for them without De Bruyne, who had also worked up a productive partnership with Erling Haaland.
GOAL assesses who should fill his boots for the next four months...