Manchester City will be without Manuel Akanji for up to two and a half months, as Pep Guardiola revealed on Friday.
An already difficult week is not getting any easier for Pep Guardiola. As the Catalan explained on Friday at the pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s home game against Newcastle United, first-choice center-back Manuel Akanji will need surgery for an adductor injury.
The Swiss defender suffered the serious injury in last Tuesday’s Champions League knockout tie against Real Madrid and was substituted at half-time, with Rico Lewis taking over in the City of London. “He will have surgery on Saturday,” Guardiola said on Friday about his center-back: “He will be out for eight to ten weeks.”
Akanji is definitely not expected to return until April. The next bitter loss for the Skyblues, who have been hit by injuries frequently this season. The Switzerland international makes 30 appearances for City in all competitions during the 2024/25 season, with the 29-year-old starting 28 Premier League and Champions League matches.
In November and December, he had a muscle injury that sidelined him, but he still has a contract until 2027 after moving from Dortmund to Manchester in 2022. Fortunately, due to ongoing problems in the defense center, City had stepped up in the transfer market in the winter and signed Abdukodir Khusanov from RC Lens and Brazilian defender Vitor Reis from Palmeiras.
Guardiola does not believe in Grealish’s commitment
There is also a question mark over Jack Grealish for Saturday. The England international even had to be replaced by Phil Foden after just 30 minutes in the Real game. “It’s not as bad as Manu’s, but I don’t know if he’ll be ready tomorrow,” explained Guardiola. ‘I don’t think so, but we’ll assess it in the next few hours.’
In a week when the home game against Newcastle has to be mastered and, of all things, a 3-2 turnaround in Madrid, there are undoubtedly better conditions.
