Manchester City began the defence of their Champions League crown with a 3-1 win over Serbian outfit Red Star on Tuesday evening, but it was not all smiles at the Etihad after the full-time whistle.
That’s because City playmaker Bernardo Silva was replaced by Jeremy Doku after just 44 minutes due to injury, adding to a growing list for Pep Guardiola.
The likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Mateo Kovacic and John Stones are all currently sidelined for the Sky Blues, although if there is one squad in world football capable of coping with such significant losses it would be Man City’s.
Regardless, Guardiola will be hoping it’s not too serious and that Silva will return to action soon.
While the nature and extent of Silva‘s injury is not yet clear, Guardiola claimed the diminutive midfielder is set to be sidelined for ‘the next few weeks’ at the very least.
However, the Portuguese is yet to be fully assessed by the club’s medical staff, perhaps offering a sliver of hope to Guardiola that the injury is not as bad as first feared.
Injuries to Stones, De Bruyne, Kovacic and Jack Grealish have left City a little short in certain areas, with Guardiola suggesting such absences have left his side in the lurch.
Speaking after the game, he said: “We are in trouble but I am not going to say ‘oh, we have a lot of injuries’. It is what it is.
“With the players we have, we will go for it. As long as we have that mentality, that is good. We have five really important players injured and to sustain that for a long time would be difficult.”
Guardiola stated Kovacic is very close to a return to the first team, while Grealish is expected to be fit again in the next couple of weeks. However, De Bruyne and Stones will both be missing for an extended period.
Man City face Nottingham Forest in their next match in the Premier League before a tricky Carabao Cup clash with Newcastle United. A visit to Wolverhampton Wanderers will follow, with significant encounters with RB Leipzig and Arsenal coming after.
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