Heavy blow for Man City – center-back out for an extended period

Pep Guardiola said immediately after the Chelsea match that it “doesn’t look good” — and it isn’t. Not at all. Dark premonitions have come true: Josko Gvardiol faces a longer spell on the sidelines.

Manchester City have confirmed that the Croatian defender suffered a fracture to the tibia in his right leg and will undergo surgery later this week, followed by a recovery process. The club has not yet given an exact timeline, but with injuries of this type, recovery is expected to take three to six months.

This means that, in the best-case scenario, Gvardiol would return to the pitch only toward the end of the season. In the worst-case scenario, it could effectively end his season — and not only that, but it would also put his participation in the World Cup in doubt… though that’s another story.

In any case, this is a huge problem for Pep Guardiola, who will be without the defender for an extended period. Gvardiol had missed only four of City’s 20 league matches, three due to injury. After starting the match on the bench against Sunderland two games ago, the 23-year-old returned to the starting lineup against Chelsea, but following a collision with Malo Gusto early in the second half, he was forced to leave the field — assisted by the medical staff.

Later at a press conference, Guardiola was very pessimistic about the severity of Gvardiol’s injury — a pessimism that turned out to be justified the next day. As if anticipating what was coming, City immediately confirmed the seriousness of the injury. Almost simultaneously with their announcement, Watford confirmed that City had recalled 20-year-old center-back Max Alley on loan from the London club.

Guardiola pushes the button: mighty Eagle enters City's January plans

It is clear, however, that a player with no Premier League experience will not be of great help to Guardiola. And with John Stones sidelined since early December, plus waiting for news on Ruben Dias’s injury, it is increasingly likely that City will buy a center-back in January. Earlier in the day, reports named Marc Guehi as the target. Because with only Abdulkodir Khusanov and Nathan Ake available at center-back, it will be difficult for Manchester City to compete with Arsenal.