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Omar Marmoush picked up a knee injury on international duty and is out of Manchester City's derby clash with Manchester United this weekend.
If goals are the order of the day for Manchester City at the moment, then the sight of Omar Marmoush on crutches in Egypt on Wednesday morning was a dispiriting one.
Erling Haaland showed he remains in fine fettle after scoring five in Norway's 11-1 win against Moldova, but City's challenge is finding enough goals to support the striker, who can't do it all on his own.
That is partly why Marmoush has started back-to-back games on the left. With Phil Foden still absent, Marmoush is the only other natural goalscorer in Pep Guardiola's squad.
The 26-year-old scored eight goals for the Blues after signing for £59million from Eintracht Frankfurt in January, having rattled in 15 goals in 17 games in the Bundesliga in the first half of the season.
With Marmoush ruled out of Sunday's Manchester derby, and Foden only likely to make the bench if he is fit, goals will once again be a problem for City. It seems that if teams can limit Haaland, then they can stop the rest of the City side.
Bernardo Silva will surely start in the most advanced midfield role, but he has just three goals for City in 2025. Tijjani Reijnders showed an eye for goal at AC Milan last season and scored on his Premier League debut, but needs to rediscover his form after two disappointing displays.
Haaland really needs support from out wide. Get Marmoush on the left and Foden on the right, and he would probably get it, but without those two, it is an issue.
Guardiola preferred Jeremy Doku and Savinho in the Club World Cup. Both are exciting to watch, but struggle to deliver an end product. Doku has six goals in 60 Premier League games for City and Savinho just one in 29 Premier League appearances. With Savinho yet to appear this season, Oscar Bobb is a likely starter on the right.
That puts the pressure on Doku to stand in for Marmoush. The winger scored twice in Belgium's 6-0 win against Kazakhstan and continues to catch the eye on international duty.
But at 23, the time is now for the £55million signing from Rennes to take his game to the next level. Add goals and assists to his game and we are talking about a world-class talent.
Doku is well aware that they need to come as well. Speaking on international duty last week, he referenced his numbers and a desire to improve them, having admitted he was yet to hit top gear for City this season.
“I’m not yet fully in form. I’ve always been critical of myself, I know when I’m good and then don’t play afterwards, it’s not in my hands," he said.
“But I also say when I’m not good, and I know I haven’t been in the first three matches. But I know it will come quickly and everything will be fine.
"This season, I want to work on my stats. Football isn’t just about stats, but they matter. I want to find myself in the penalty area more often.”
City need him to do just that. Haaland could score a goal a game in the Premier League this season, but that won't be enough to deliver the title unless at least one of his teammates steps up as well.
Doku is the player who can do that. This is his third season at City, and he will turn 24 in May. If he is to deliver on that promise, it needs to happen this term. With Marmoush now on the sidelines, this might be a chance the Belgian simply can't afford to pass him by.
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