Man City expecting four players back from injury after international break

• Sport
• Football
• Manchester City FC

Manchester City have a number of first-team players currently out injured but there is an expectation they will be back after the October internationals.

Manchester City expect to have Abdukodir Khusanov, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki and Omar Marmoush available for selection again after the October international break.

The injured quartet are all eyeing up the October 18 fixture with Everton at the Etihad as a potential return date as they seek to overcome injury issues picked up in recent weeks.

France international Cherki has been sidelined since picking up a thigh injury at the end of August. The 21-year-old was initially expected to be out for two months but he has made good progress and is now starting rehabilitation work to return to full fitness.

There is hope in France that the former Lyon midfielder could return before the international break. Although Cherki has a slight chance of proving his fitness for the trip to Brentford a week on Sunday, the view within City remains that the clash with the Toffees two weeks later is his more likely return date.

The £34million summer signing scored on his Premier League debut at Wolves and then started against Tottenham a week later, before picking up the injury that ruled him out of the trip to Brighton at the end of August.

Left-back Ait-Nouri has been absent since the September international break with an ankle injury. The Algerian is not expected to return to training until the end of the October international break at the earliest. That could potentially put him in the frame to face Everton as he aims for a return to action next month.

Marmoush is also still on the sidelines after picking up a knee injury while playing for Egypt in the previous international break. Pep Guardiola had hoped to have him available before the October internationals and while the 26-year-old could be fit for the trip to Brentford on October 5, he is considered more likely to be back in action after the break.

Guardiola ruled Khusanov out for "the next three games" ahead of the midweek trip to Huddersfield Town in the Carabao Cup but the 21-year-old defender is unlikely to be available before the Etihad clash with Everton.

Erling Haaland missed the win at Huddersfield after being taken off at Arsenal with a back complaint. Guardiola will run the rule over the Norwegian in training before deciding on his availability to face Burnley at the weekend.

The Blues are also waiting on Mateo Kovacic to return to action. The Croatian midfielder has been out since the end of last season with an Achilles injury.

---

Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester City coverage and analysis.

Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.

You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.

And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Talking City podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.