Kevin De Bruyne has withdrawn from the Belgium squad to face Iceland on Wednesday and returned to Manchester City.
The Royal Belgian Football Association cited a fitness issue after the City playmaker was substituted after 73 minutes of Sunday’s UEFA Nations League loss to England at Wembley.
The 29-year-old will now be assessed ahead of City’s Premier League clash with Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
A tweet from the Belgium team’s official account read: “@DeBruyneKev returned to his club. He couldn’t be fit enough to play against Iceland.”
The nature of De Bruyne’s problem has not been specified.
UPDATE: @DeBruyneKev returned to his club. He couldn’t be fit enough to play against Iceland.— Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils) October 12, 2020
Belgium manager Roberto Martinez played down any potential issue after the 2-1 defeat to England, saying the player had been taken off as a precautionary measure.
“I wouldn’t say it was an injury,” Martinez said. “It is too early to say, there was a feeling that he wasn’t right – it was more precaution that we had to avoid (something), he wasn’t 100 per cent.”
