Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has revealed that Kevin De Bruyne did not feature in Tuesday's 1-0 win over Brentford due to a hamstring issue.
After starting Man City's last two matches, De Bruyne was a notable absentee from Guardiola's lineup at the Etihad Stadium.
Like De Bruyne, Nathan Ake and Jeremy Doku also dropped down to the bench, allowing John Stones, Bernardo Silva and Oscar Bobb to take their respective places in the starting XI.
Erling Haaland scored the only goal of the match with just under 20 minutes remaining to clinch all three points and move Man City into second place.
De Bruyne finished the game as an unused substitute, with Guardiola confirming after the game that he had kept him on the bench as a precautionary measure.
"We did not use Kevin today because he has niggles in his hamstring position," Guardiola told reporters. "He's okay. It's more caution and prevention than anything.
"He didn't feel comfortable and the doctors said there was a little bit of risk. After five months off, we did not take any risk with that."
The Belgium international was out until January after he sustained a hamstring injury in Man City's season opener against Burnley in August.
De Bruyne underwent surgery to repair the issue, leading to an extended spell on the sidelines before he returned to action in an FA Cup win over Huddersfield Town last month.
The 32-year-old has made a total of 10 competitive appearances since coming back into the fold, contributing two goals and eight assists.
De Bruyne's fitness will have to be assessed ahead of Saturday's Premier League clash with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
The Citizens will go on to face Luton Town in Tuesday's FA Cup fixture, before they turn their attention to a home meeting with local rivals Manchester United at the start of March.
Guardiola will hope to have Josko Gvardiol and Jack Grealish back in time for the Manchester derby, with the pair currently sidelined with groin and ankle problems. body check tags ::
