Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has expressed deep concern over the team’s escalating injury crisis, revealing that only 13 senior players remain fit for upcoming fixtures. “I think we are in trouble,” Guardiola admitted, underlining the challenge that injuries now pose to Manchester City’s season.
The team’s lineup has been dramatically reduced as key players continue to struggle with various injuries. The injury list includes playmaker Kevin De Bruyne, who has been sidelined with a groin injury since mid-September and has no clear return date. Defensive stalwart Rodri is also out for the season after tearing his cruciate ligament in late September, a major blow to City’s defensive line.
Additional complications arise as right-back Kyle Walker deals with a knee injury, expecting a return only after the November international break. Winger Oscar Bobb is currently recovering from a broken leg, with an optimistic return date set for January 2025.
Further challenges arise with injuries to forwards Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish, both of whom face uncertain timelines for recovery. Defender Manuel Akanji, who missed the recent match against Tottenham, is managing a muscle issue, while promising young forward Savinho sustained an apparent ankle injury in the same match, requiring a stretcher for his exit from the field.
Defensive midfielder Rodri is out for the rest of the season after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in September.
Attacking midfielder Oscar Bobb is also out long term after fracturing his leg in August. Guardiola said at the time he would be out for “three or four months”., external
Kevin de Bruyne, who missed five months of last season following surgery, is out with a thigh injury and while he was initially expected to be only out short term, Guardiola said recently that he “didn’t know”, external when he would be fit.
Full-back Kyle Walker is out with a knee injury with no date on a potential return, while forwards Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish have missed recent games with injuries. Guardiola said he did not expect, external Doku to be fit before the November international break.
Prior to Wednesday’s game, Guardiola had named only seven substitutes against Southampton at the weekend and against Sparta Prague last week, with two goalkeepers included on the bench for the latter.
“Tomorrow we have two goalkeepers and Erling Haaland in the training session,” Guardiola said after the Tottenham loss.
“The rest, we don’t have anything else.”
Do Man City really have just ’13 players’?
Going by the squad list on Manchester City’s official website, it does appear that Guardiola’s claim is accurate.
Obviously he will be able to call upon youth-team players, but excluding those injured, these are Manchester City’s available first-team outfield players:
Defenders:
Nathan Ake, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Rico Lewis, John Stones, Josh Wilson-Esbrand
Midfielders:
Phil Foden, Ilkay Gundogan, Mateo Kovacic, James McAtee, Matheus Nunes, Bernardo Silva
Forwards:
Erling Haaland
That adds up to 13 outfield players but includes Josh Wilson-Esbrand, who has not made a first-team appearance for the club.
How badly could it affect Man City?
Guardiola said in the build up to Wednesday’s game his main hope was to get through it without any more injuries.
Although they lost to Spurs, the young players in the Manchester City side showed promise and only a brilliant block on the line denied 19-year-old Nico O’Reilly scoring a late equaliser.
Manchester City are top of the Premier League, unbeaten in Europe but have failed to reach the League Cup quarter-finals, and Guardiola said recently if injured players don’t come back soon then his side will struggle to compete in multiple competitions.
“If these guys don’t come back as quickly as possible, we’ll struggle, because we cannot sustain with just 14, 15 players for the season,” he said.
