Mateo Kovacic injury headache for Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola

Mateo Kovacic is facing ‘a fewer weeks’ retired of enactment owed to an wounded helium picked up connected planetary work with Croatia.

The 30-year-old has moved into a cardinal relation for Pep Guardiola’s broadside this play aft the superior genu wounded suffered by Rodri.

The influential Spaniard is acceptable to miss the play and Kovacic has filled the void near by the existent Balon d’Or holder.

The erstwhile Chelsea antheral has made 11 Premier League appearances, 10 of which person been starts, but helium is present acceptable to miss a engaged play owed to an unspecified wounded helium suffered implicit the planetary break.

However, determination was much affirmative quality successful defence arsenic John Stones, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake are acceptable again, with conscionable Ruben Dias remaining sidelined done injury.

‘Kovacic is injured. It volition beryllium a while, a fewer weeks oregon 1 month,’ Guardiola told a property league connected Friday.

‘John, Manu trained bully yesterday. Nathan is coming backmost training. We had nary cardinal defenders, present we person three.

‘Just Ruben [Dias] is retired but helium is coming backmost soon. I don’t cognize if they’re acceptable to play 90 minutes, but to spot their faces successful the grooming league is truly good.’

‘Just Ruben (Dias) is retired but hopefully helium volition beryllium backmost soon. We didn’t person cardinal defenders and cognize we person three.’

Manchester City instrumentality to Premier League enactment astatine location to Tottenham connected Saturday evening looking for a much-needed upturn successful results.

For the archetypal clip nether Guardiola the Premier League champions person mislaid their past 4 games successful each competitions, including to Saturday’s absorption successful the Carabao Cup.

More concerningly than that decision to Spurs, though, were Premier League losses against Bournemouth and Brighton which person near them 5 points disconnected the gait astatine the apical of the table.

‘You are capable to suffer 4 games successful a row, but you are besides capable to triumph 4 Premier Leagues successful a row,’ said Guardiola of the caller slump.

‘The quality is astir teams are capable to suffer 4 games successful antithetic competitions but conscionable 1 squad has won 4 Premier Leagues successful a row.’

The likes of Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish are each doubts for the play aft missing the latest planetary break, but are each hoping to beryllium involved.

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