Manchester City have been hit with a significant injury setback, with defender Manuel Akanji set to undergo surgery and miss up to 10 weeks.
Manager Pep Guardiola confirmed the news on Friday, revealing that the Swiss international suffered an abductor injury during the first half of their midweek defeat to Real Madrid.
Akanji was unable to return for the second half, and initial fears that his season was over have now been clarified with a more specific, albeit still lengthy, timeline for recovery.
“Surgery on Saturday, eight to 10 weeks out. Abductor (injury) I think so, broken,” Guardiola explained.
The manager expressed his disappointment at the loss of Akanji, praising the defender’s commitment and resilience throughout the season.
“We wish the best recovery for Manuel because the effort that he has done this season has been unbelievable because him and Nathan [Ake] as well have played in difficult conditions, not being in top [form] and to help the team in emergencies in the position we had in a lack of players in that position. In the end, the body said ‘enough is enough’.”
Akanji’s injury comes as a blow to City, who have relied heavily on his versatility and defensive solidity. His absence will undoubtedly put a strain on the squad as they navigate the remainder of the season.
Guardiola also provided an update on Jack Grealish, who also limped off during the Real Madrid game. While Grealish’s injury is less severe than Akanji’s, his availability for Saturday’s game against Newcastle remains in doubt.
“It’s not as tough as what Manu [Akanji] has done but I don’t know if tomorrow he will be ready,” Guardiola said. “I don’t think so, but we will see, we will assess in the next hours.”
Finally, Guardiola addressed the situation surrounding deadline-day signing Nico Gonzalez.
The midfielder was forced off early in his debut against Leyton Orient last weekend and was an unused substitute against Real Madrid. Guardiola clarified that Gonzalez’s absence was due to injury, not poor performance.
“It wasn’t a difficult start, he was just injured,” Guardiola stated. “A difficult start is when you play bad, and that was not the case for the 20 minutes he played. But of course it was a setback; he had a little pain and for [Real] Madrid he was not fully, fully-fit. Day by day he’s getting better, like I said before with Jack, we will assess in a few hours.”
The manager’s comments suggest that Gonzalez is also nearing a return to fitness, although no specific timeline was given.
