Manchester City head into the 2025–26 Premier League season with several injury concerns hanging over them.
Phil Foden is the biggest doubt after taking a knock to the ankle that ruled him out of the final pre-season friendly against Palermo. Pep Guardiola played down the severity but admitted caution is the priority: “It’s just a knock, it was painful, but he’ll be ready when he’s ready.”
The treatment room is busy elsewhere too. Rodri, Josko Gvardiol and Claudio Echeverri all sat out the match, while Mateo Kovacic faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines with an Achilles problem and may not return until October, according to reports in England.
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The midfield is where City are feeling it most. Rodri has trained for only “two or three days” after a long absence, and Guardiola is determined to avoid rushing him back. Until his core players return — likely after the international break — the Spaniard will have to reshuffle his options.
One beneficiary could be new arrival Rayan Cherki from Lyon, who now has a golden opportunity to stake his claim for minutes and make an early impression on Guardiola.
The Premier League champions open their campaign at home to Wolves on August 16.
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