With five games in the next 14 days, the last thing that Pep Guardiola needed was an injury to a key player, but Jeremy Doku is set to be out for a while.
The winger has been said to give defenders nightmares (Squawka), and with two goals and two assists already this season (transfermarkt), it’s easy to understand why.
Bitter blow for Man City as Guardiola loses Jeremy Doku to injury
Jack Grealish hasn’t really been at the races this season, and a move back to Aston Villa has been mooted as a result.
With Guardiola once calling Doku “exceptional,” it’s clear just how much of a blow losing the wide man will be.
“He got injured against Wolves,” Guardiola noted in his pre-match press conference for the match against Southampton.
It’s believed that he won’t be ready before the next international break, which means Doku is set to miss the Premier League game against the Saints as well as the English top-flight matches against Bournemouth and Brighton and Hove Albion.
The Carabao Cup Round of 16 game at Tottenham and the fourth match of this Champions League campaign against Sporting will also come too early for the Belgian.
All of those matches fall in a 14 day period, and Guardiola will almost certainly be hoping that no more of his senior stars fall foul of what’s becoming a consistent theme for the top clubs.
It’s little wonder that Rodri – another City injury victim – was strident when talking about the potential for a player strike (Sky Sports).
Guardiola does have the luxury of having one of the deepest squads available in the Premier League of course, and if, as might be expected, Grealish is looked to for invention and delivery of chances, then now is the time that he needs to step up again for his manager and team-mates.