Man City rocked by fresh setback ahead of season opener

Man City rocked by fresh setback ahead of season opener originally appeared on The Sporting News

Manchester City’s midfield plans have taken another hit before the Premier League curtain-raiser.

Mateo Kovacic, who had surgery on his Achilles this summer, is now expected to miss action until at least late September — and possibly into October.

The Croatian had hoped to be back around the start of the season but will not be ready for the early fixtures.

He even traveled with the squad to Palermo for their final pre-season friendly, but sources suggest his recovery still has a long way to go.

It’s the second major blow in the middle of the park. Rodri, the Ballon d’Or winner and defensive midfield anchor, is still being eased back from a serious groin injury picked up at the Club World Cup.

City want to avoid rushing him after his long spell out last season due to the ACL tear.

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What Pep Guardiola said on Mateo Kovacic's injury?

“We have three [midfielders],” Pep Guardiola explained (quotes via mancity.com).

“Kova is injured until September/October, Rodri is coming back after six months and Nico. The others can play there but are more attacking, more in the box. Gundo can play there and Tijji can play there but when everybody is fit their position sit play more up front.”

Guardiola admitted the schedule will be relentless after September, with matches every three or four days. That means City need all hands on deck — but right now, the engine room is running on low fuel.

The absence of Kovacic and the caution over Rodri leaves January signing Nico Gonzalez as the only natural holding midfielder for the start. Ilkay Gundogan and Tijjani Reijnders can fill in, but both prefer a more advanced role.

City’s early fixtures against Wolves, Spurs, and Brighton are already tricky, and Guardiola knows the team may be undercooked.

“We’ve got some niggles, players coming back with some injuries,” he said. “Maybe we missed some friendly games to prepare… but we decided to make more training sessions than play games.”

Fans will be hoping the midfield gap doesn’t turn into a gaping hole before the season really kicks off.

After all, in football, losing control of the middle can quickly turn into losing control of the match and Man City fans already had a taste of it last season.

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