Man City must 'find someone who can get goals' in the absence of Kevin De Bruyne, Rio Ferdinand claims, with concerns the sales of Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez have already weakened Pep Guardiola's side
Rio Ferdinand says Manchester City must replace Kevin De Bruyne with 'someone who can get goals', despite their UEFA Super Cup victory.
Pep Guardiola's side beat Sevilla 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Athens, but the club were rueing the absence of their Belgian star, who went off injured in the first Premier League match of the new campaign against Burnley.
Guardiola confirmed that De Bruyne faces three or four months on the sidelines with a recurring hamstring injury, and may need surgery on the problem. It is a blow for Man City as he scored 10 goals and provided 31 assists last season.
With De Bruyne ruled out for a significant spell, Ferdinand told TNT Sports during the Super Cup coverage that Man City have to ensure they replace him quickly - especially after selling Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan during the off-season.
Manchester United legend Ferdinand even joked 'I’m worried for City!' The former defender said: 'If you're a City fan you have to be devastated.
'I think they’ve got to go and find someone who can get goals. They’ve lost Mahrez, they’ve lost Gundogan, they’ve now lost Kevin de Bruyne – three massive, influential players in terms of goals and assists.'
Man City have been in pursuit of West Ham's Lucas Paqueta, and expected to improve on their £70m offer which was rejected by the Hammers.
Ferdinand said: 'Let’s see who they go with. I’m saying Paqueta.'
Ex-Man City player Joleon Lescott said De Bruyne would be a 'massive miss', but noted that the Belgian missed the first half of the season three years ago before roaring back with avengeance, becoming their player of the campaign.
Lescott said: 'I don’t think it’s as important missing the first three months as it is missing the last four months. His
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