Man City Injury News: Grealish to miss Southampton welcome, De Bruyne update
Manchester City welcome relegation candidates Southampton to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon as they look to maintain their unbeaten record.
A 5-0 win over Sparta Prague on Wednesday was City’s fourth successive win in all competitions, which doesn’t bode well for a Saints side that is yet to win a league match this season.
Ahead of the welcome of Southampton, here’s the current injury state of play for City...
Oscar Bobb suffered a fractured leg in training, which was a blow for both player and club. Indeed, Bobb was expected to consolidate a regular first team spot for Manchester City this season but he'll be out until December following surgery.
Kyle Walker hasn’t featured for Manchester City since England’s 3-1 win over Finland earlier this month owing to a knee issue. "I think he is not ready. Since being with the national team, he’s not been well," City boss Pep Guardiola said of the right-back prior to the 5-0 win over Sparta Prague on Wednesday night and he is currently absent for Saturday’s game against Southampton.
Having been forced off in the 0-0 draw with Inter, Kevin De Bruyne sat out the 2-2 stalemate with Arsenal owing to a groin problem. The Belgian hasn’t featured since the draw with Inter and is unlikely to make the squad against Saints. “It's not a new issue, but he doesn’t feel completely fine. He is training better, but he doesn’t feel. He said he doesn’t feel good. If you don’t feel good, take your time,” Pep Guardiola said this week.
Rodri lasted just 21 minutes on his first league start of the season as he was forced off midway through the first half of the 2-2 draw with Arsenal with a knee issue. The Euro 2024 winner and Manchester City's lynchpin is out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury. "Rodri is strong, but he left the pitch, so for Rodri to do that, he must have felt something," Guardiola said after Sunday's draw with Arsenal. "He left in a bad way, he wasn’t very well, he asked to be substituted," Rodri's City teammate Bernardo Silva added.
Jack Grealish came on as a late sub in the 2-1 win over Wolves at the weekend but wasn’t included in the matchday squad against Sparta in midweek due to a knock. The England international is unlikely to feature this weekend.
Having been withdrawn midway through the second half against Wolves, Jeremy Doku, like Grealish, sat out the 5-0 win over Sparta Prague with a muscular injury. The Belgian looks set to sit out the welcome of Southampton.
