Manchester City will be desperate for their recent injury crisis to finally start easing as they bid to reverse a torrid run of form prior to the international break.
Pep Guardiola is currently in the midst of the worst run of results in his entire illustrious managerial career, with his side having slumped to four successive losses across all competitions for the first time since 2006.
Such a dismal sequence has seen the defending champions fall five points behind leaders Liverpool in the Premier League title race, while they are also out of the Carabao Cup and down in 10th place in the Champions League standings.
While not the sole cause of their malaise, an ongoing injury nightmare has certainly not helped City’s ailing fortunes in recent weeks and they will need it to turn around fast as they return to action following the international break with another meeting against Tottenham on Saturday and contests against Liverpool, Manchester United and Juventus also on the horizon.
Here is all the latest Man City injury news and return dates ahead of the Premier League’s latest resumption this weekend.
Phil Foden
Phil Foden was among nine total withdrawals from Lee Carsley’s final England squad for Nations League matches against Greece and the Republic of Ireland last week.
However, a knock suffered in the defeat by Brighton is reportedly not serious and he will hope to be involved when Carabao Cup conquerors Spurs visit the Etihad Stadium for a top-flight rematch this weekend.
Potential return date: Saturday November 23, vs Tottenham
Ruben Dias
Ruben Dias has not featured for City since that 2-1 loss at Spurs on October 30 that saw them denied a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
A muscular injury was later confirmed to be a calf issue and he did not go away with Portugal for their Nations League games against Poland and Croatia.
Guardiola confirmed earlier in November that he hoped Dias would be back after the international break, though it remains to be seen at this stage if he will be fit enough to be involved against Spurs.
Potential return date: Saturday November 23, vs Tottenham
Jeremy Doku
Winger Jeremy Doku is currently struggling with a quad injury, having sat out the Brighton game and then been withdrawn from the Belgium squad for matches against Italy and Israel.
“He has some muscular problems in his quadriceps,” Guardiola recently said of Doku. “He doesn’t feel good, he cannot run at full speed. (After the international break?) When we arrive, we will make a test, and we’ll make a selection, and we’ll see how they feel.”
Doku may have to wait a little longer until he is able to return to action for City, though a fast recovery could yet put him in contention this weekend.
Potential return date: Saturday November 23, vs Tottenham
John Stones
City’s injury crisis is particularly bad at the back, with John Stones, like defensive colleague Dias, missing the last three games across all competitions.
Stones also was not involved for England due to a foot issue, with Guardiola saying at the start of the month: “John has a fasciitis splinter in the feet and today he was not ready. I don’t know if he’ll be back for the next two games.”
Potential return date: Saturday November 23, vs Tottenham
Jack Grealish
Another of City’s international withdrawals, Grealish also had no involvement for England during the latest round of fixtures having been kept out since the dramatic 2-1 win at Wolves on October 20.
Guardiola was furious that the former Aston Villa star had been called up in the first place by interim boss Carsley following his recent fitness setbacks, fuming at a press conference: “In 17 days he didn’t train once. Today was the first training and he trained for 20 minutes. That is the reality.”
Such comments would suggest that Grealish still remains a little way off a return to competitive football.
Potential return date: Unknown
Manuel Akanji
Manuel Akanji is another defensive injury concern for City, having withdrawn from the Switzerland squad for games against Serbia and Spain.
Guardiola said before the Brighton game, which Akanji missed: “Manu said [on Friday], ‘I felt so bad in the training session and I could not move properly’, and against that team [Brighton] I prefer fresh people.”
Like so many of City’s other injury concerns, it is hard to predict a return date until we get a further update from Guardiola later this week ahead of the Spurs game.
Potential return date: Saturday November 23, vs Tottenham
Matheus Nunes
Matheus Nunes withdrew from internationals early last week like Akanji, with Portugal deeming him “not medically fit”.
However, the former Wolves midfielder has been featuring for City of late and will hope to shake off this recent knock in time to be involved against Spurs.
Potential return date: Saturday November 23, vs Tottenham
Oscar Bobb
Oscar Bobb saw a potential breakout campaign at City disrupted early after he suffered a fractured leg during a training session back in August.
The Norwegian winger subsequently flew to Barcelona for surgery and was ruled out for three to four months, with hopes that he could be in a position to play again before Christmas.
However, that timeline has since been revised and extended, with Guardiola saying in late October: “Oscar, I think, January or February, he will be ready.”
Potential return date: January or February, 2025
Nathan Ake
Nathan Ake has struggled with hamstring injuries of late and saw his return from a near two-month layoff last just three games before another issue that has kept him out since the defeat at former club Bournemouth on November 2.
Ake was omitted from the most recent Netherlands squad for games against Hungary and Bosnia and Herzegovina, with Guardiola commenting before the Brighton loss: “Yeah, he’s getting better. He’s still not fully fit, but he’s getting better.”
If Spurs comes too soon for Ake, he will hope to play a part against either Feyenoord or Liverpool in City’s following two matches.
Potential return date: Tuesday November 26, vs Feyenoord
Rodri
The main cause of what currently ails City of course is the absence of Rodri, with the newly-crowned Ballon d’Or winner having suffered a serious knee injury against Arsenal in September that required surgery and saw him ruled out for the rest of the season.
While any potential return is still surely many months away, the Spaniard insists he is targeting being back on the pitch before the end of a long campaign.
“I’m aiming to play this season,” he said last week. “Now the seasons are getting longer and the Club World Cup ends on 13 July. I have in mind to return this year, as a challenge.
“I’ve already started walking, and I feel better mentally than I thought I would."
Potential return date: Summer 2025
