Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says Kevin De Bruyne's knee injury can be put down to the extended workload of playing in the World Cup followed by coming straight back into a Premier League season.
The Belgium international is set to miss City's first four Champions League games as well as the Spurs clash and another potentially key game against Liverpool on October 7.
"They don't rest," said Guardiola. "It was a tough season last season. They come back in a short recovery and we demand in the first moment, 'Come on, let's go' because we are in the competition. Of course human beings have a limit."
Talking about De Bruyne, Guardiola said: "He will be out for two and a half to three months.
"Hopefully in that time he can do as much as possible and when he comes back he can help us again. "He will be a big miss. Last season Kevin was outstanding and, of course, for him and his family you never want these long injuries.
"But you accept it. It's part of the game, part of the amount of games and seasons, games and seasons (they play) and in the end the players fall down."
