1 hour ago
2
Manchester City injury latest manager Pep Guardiola will hope to have Mateo Kovacic back with a big chunk of the season still to play
Manchester City are hoping to welcome Mateo Kovacic back in February from his latest surgery after his Croatia coach raised concerns over whether the midfielder will make the World Cup.
Kovacic has missed almost the entirety of City's campaign so far after undergoing Achilles surgery in the summer. He returned to the squad for the Premier League game with Burnley at the end of September and came off the bench for the final part of wins over Everton and Villarreal.
However, the 31-year-old felt pain again and needs more surgery to sort the problem after Pep Guardiola revealed that he would be out for some time when asked about the issue last week.
"He will be out for a while," said the City boss. "He still has a problem with the ankle, a little calcification still there. We'll wait on him for the last part of the season."
Guardiola has not been any more specific on a timeline and Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic raised alarms that Kovacic may not be recovered in time for the World Cup next summer.
“I hope Kovacic won’t miss the World Cup. He has similar problems to those he had four or five months ago," he said. "We believe he’ll be with us at the World Cup.
"I’d like him to be back in March. It must be tough for him. The injury and the surgery are taking a psychological toll on him. I hope Kovacic gets through it all."
Being out for the World Cup is thought to be the worst possible outcome, with the expectation that Kovacic returns in February in time to get some minutes with City. He could even represent Croatia in their March fixtures.
However, both club and country have to be cautious given Kovacic's return from the work he had done in summer has not gone as anyone wanted.
With Rodri also injured, responsibility in City's midfield has fallen to Nico Gonzalez. The Spaniard scored in the 3-0 win over Liverpool as his influence continues to grow in the team.
---
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.
English (US) ·