Jubilations Rocks Ethihad Stadium As Pep Guardiola provides fresh Man City return dates on John Stones, Mateo Kovacic, and Jack Grealish injuries
Pep Guardiola has provided updated Man City injury return dates for John Stones, Mateo Kovacic, and Jack Grealish.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has issued an update on the recovery times of three of his injured first-team players.
The City manager and his players have begun their first busy spell of the new season, with midweek UEFA Champions League and Carabao Cup games now complementing their weekend Premier League fixture responsibilities.
Manchester City walked away from their Champions League group stage opener against Crvena Zvezda at the Etihad Stadium with yet another concern when Bernardo Silva was replaced near the end of the first half with an unexplained fitness ailment.
Pep Guardiola intimated after the game that the Portugal international will be ruled out for ‘the next games,’ but no additional information were revealed, and it is expected that Bernardo Silva will be checked by club medical professionals on Thursday.
Manchester City’s manager did, however, reveal new timetables for the recovery of his other injured first-team stars, expressing greater reservations about John Stones in particular, as part of his post-match debrief.
“It’s been a long time (off) for Kevin (De Bruyne), John (Stones) hasn’t played, (he’ll be out) a little longer, Maybe (Mateo) Kova(cic) will return, maybe Jack (Grealish) will return in a week or ten days,” Guardiola claimed. “We are in trouble, but that is what it is.”
Manchester City will play Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, having won five of their first five games, before travelling to the north-east to face fellow Champions League team Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup.
On a more positive note for Pep Guardiola and his coaching staff, the quick adjustment of the club’s summer additions to the Manchester City system will be a significant help to their ambitions of continuing to challenge while mainstays remain sidelined.
On Tuesday night, Matheus Nunes made his full Manchester City debut, commanding the centre of the field in a 3-1 win over Crvena Zvezda, while Jeremy Doku has shocked Guardiola and other members of the coaching staff with his outstanding performances out wide.
When called upon, Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic have proven to be solid choices, and their ability to command their respective positions is set to become even more important as the season develops.
