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Manchester City have trained ahead of Tuesday's Champions League clash with Bayer Leverkusen at the Etihad.
Academy midfielder Jaden Heskey and defender Jaden Katongo have trained with the Manchester City first team ahead of their Champions League fixture against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday. The 19-year-old Heskey made his first team debut against Huddersfield in the Carabao Cup in September and was included in the session with three midfielders missing out.
Mateo Kovacic is ruled out until February, while Rodri remains on the sidelines as City preach caution with his fitness. Kalvin Phillips was also missing from training at the City Football Academy. Phillips isn't registered in the Champions League squad but has been training. His absence meant Heskey was promoted. He has captained in the Under-21s in Premier League 2 this season and has played every minute of that campaign under Ben Wilkinson.
Katongo, 21, has featured in three Premier League 2 games this season and was promoted to first team training having been part of the Under-21 squad recently. He is ineligible for UEFA Youth League games, with Wilkinson preparing an Under-19 squad for that competition on Monday.
Attacking midfielder Divine Mukasa also took part in training. Mukasa has played for the first team this season and was part of a 23-man squad ahead of the game against the Bundesliga side.
Pep Guardiola offered a fresh update on Rodri's fitness at his press conference earlier on Monday that suggested the Spaniard might be out for a little longer yet. "Not long, not short but not long," he said. "We’re in the process that he will be back, and when he is back we will wait a little bit more to make sure he’s fine."
City training squad
Goalkeepers: Donnarumma, Trafford
Defenders: Lewis, Nunes, Katongo, Khusanov, Dias, Stones, Gvardiol, Ake, Ait-Nouri, O’Reilly.
Midfielders: Gonzalez, Reijnders, Silva, Mukasa, Foden, Heskey, Cherki.
Forwards: Savinho, Bobb, Marmoush, Haaland, Doku
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