Man City came out of their first Premier League defeat of the season with a handful of injury concerns, but most of them look short-term, with four players pencilled in for a possible return on October 28 against Brighton.
Enzo Maresca’s side lost 2-1 to Aston Villa on Saturday. Nicolas Jackson gave Villa the lead early on after Marc Guehi miscontrolled an Enzo Fernandez pass, and Erling Haaland’s header levelled things just after half time.
With the momentum seemingly with City, Villa hit them on the counter. Jackson’s second squirmed underneath Gianluigi Donnarumma and into the net, and City could not recover. Haaland had a couple of chances late on, but Villa defended well and held on.
According to the Manchester Evening News, City left Villa Park with a few fitness issues to contend with. Here is where each player stands.
Man City injury news: Matheus Nunes
Matheus Nunes was not in the matchday squad to face Villa. Asked about his defender’s fitness after the game, Maresca said: “Matheus could be available for the next game.”
The potential return date is October 28 against Brighton, which would be a timely boost after a defeat in which City’s defence made two costly errors.
Man City injury news: Iliman Ndiaye
Ndiaye played well in the defeat, having set up Haaland’s equaliser. He was replaced in the second half, which raised concerns about his fitness, but Maresca eased those fears after the match.
Maresca said: “He’s okay, he had cramp, he was tired but he was very good between the first half and the second half.” The potential return date is October 28 against Brighton.
Nico O’Reilly and Mateo Kovacic back on the bench
Nico O’Reilly was not in the squad in midweek but returned to the bench to face Villa. He was an unused substitute and could return next week, with October 28 against Brighton the date to watch.
Like O’Reilly, Kovacic returned to the bench on Saturday after missing the midweek match. He was also an unused substitute, and his potential return date is the same: October 28 against Brighton.
Semenyo is the long-term absentee
Semenyo is the one player ruled out for longer. Maresca confirmed on Monday that he will be sidelined until December, and the news was not as bad as first feared.
Maresca said: “In the first moment we expect an even worse injury so we were more worried but after the scan we are less worried. It could be eight weeks.”
He added: “Now the most important thing is to recover it. When he is back, around December, we have a new player. It’s not muscular.”
What it means for City
The good news for the Blues is that the Villa defeat has not added a serious injury to the list. Four players could be back in contention for the Brighton game, and Semenyo’s absence is expected to last until December.
City’s captain has already promised a reaction, as covered in our report on Ruben Dias after the Villa Park defeat, and Maresca also explained why he pulled two players at half-time in that game.
