Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Mateo Kovacic will be out of action for close to a month after picking up an injury, dealing City a fresh setback just as they prepare to host Tottenham Hotspur.
Speaking at Friday’s press conference, Guardiola didn’t sugarcoat the timeline. Pep said:
He will be a while, three weeks or a month, more or less.
It’s a blow for a midfield that’s already had to navigate a rough few months of fitness problems, though the manager suggested the wider picture is starting to look brighter.
Softfootball gathered that Guardiola was cautiously upbeat when asked about players returning from injury ahead of the Tottenham clash.
John trained good, Manu trained good. Nathan is coming back to training, so we didn’t have any centre-backs and now we have three,
he said, referring to Stones, Akanji and Ake. Ruben Dias remains sidelined but is expected back before long.
Guardiola added that seeing his squad train again after a difficult stretch lifted spirits around the club.
These 10 days some players recovered a little. I don’t know if they are ready to play 90 minutes or play from the beginning, but to see the training session and see their faces was a really good boost for all of us.
Jeremy Doku, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish also trained this week after pulling out of their respective national team squads, and could be in contention for selection, though Guardiola stopped short of confirming their involvement.
With Kovacic out and other names slowly working their way back, City will be hoping the timing works in their favor as they look to bounce back against Spurs.
