Chelsea forward Kevin de Bruyne forced to leave pre-season tour

The Belgian has picked up an injury

Kevin de Bruyne (GETTY IMAGES)

Chelsea forward Kevin de Bruyne is to leave the club's Asia tour ahead of schedule due to injury, the Belgian has said on Twitter.

The 21-year-old suffered blows to his knee and ankle in the act of scoring during the first half of last night's 4-1 win over a Malaysia XI in Kuala Lumpur.

He was taken off on a stretcher, but walked gingerly to join his team-mates on the bench for the final quarter of the match at the Shah Alam Stadium.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho said initial assessments suggested the injury was not as bad as first feared but De Bruyne underwent further tests in Malaysia today after which it was determined he would return to London, ruling him out of the final match of the Asia tour in Jakarta on Thursday.

De Bruyne wrote on Twitter: "Leaving to London tonight. Fully medical check up there. Feeling ok. Hopefully a good result after the check up."

Chelsea added on Twitter: "Kevin De Bruyne will return to London overnight for an MRI, after which we'll have a clearer picture of his injury."

Following Thursday's match with BNI Indonesia All Stars, Chelsea next travel to the United States and play Inter Milan in Indianapolis on August 1.

PA