Manchester City are waiting to see if Kevin de Bruyne will be available when he returns to the Premier League on Saturday amid numerous injuries.

Pep Guardiola’s side are at Arsenal, the way to win the trophy as Michael Arteta, who recently ended his defeat to the Blues, helped them win their FA Cup semi – final meeting.

City started the season with a number of injury problems when Gabriel Jesus joined Sergio Aguero after the opening match. While most of such problems have subsided, the international break has added a few more problems.

Raheem Sterling has been ruled out of the England squad with minor hamstring concerns. The decision was seen as more defensive than anything serious, and the 25-year-old is one of the most naturally fit players in Etihad, but leaving the England camp is not to be taken lightly.

Sending de Bruyne home from the Belgium camp is a matter of concern for City, who were ruled out of last season’s Player of the Year qualification on Wednesday.

When Aguero attended his first group session in two weeks, four months later, Guardiola had already warned that the club record scorer needed time to reach full speed. Jesus’ continued absence will not help the options for attack.

City’s preparations for this season are not perfect, and de Bruyne’s’ concerns about resuming the campaign against a team that has lost some of the humiliating complexity under Arteta have increased significantly.