The FIFA window arrives at an opportune time for Manchester City, given their rash of injuries and plethora of fitness concern. The load is so heavy, we had to break it down into that we’ll have to break it up into two pieces. Here in part two, we go over the guys who already are/will be on the sidelines for a longer-term: Rayan Cherki, Mateo Kovacic and Kalvin Phillips. Part one, on the guys who might be back for the Manchester derby: Josko Gvardiol, Phil Foden, Savinho, Marcus Bettinelli and Abdokodir Khusanov can be found here.
Let’s get this party started.
Rayan Cherki
The summer transfer window addition suffered a quadriceps tear, and City manager Pep Guardiola provided this update on Sunday: “He’s out for two months. Seven or eight weeks.” Still he was named to City’s UCL squad List A, so he should be back in action around mid-to-late October.
Mateo Kovacic
He’s still recovering from his Achilles surgery, and an October return could be in the cards.
Kalvin Phillips
He is a forgotten man to say the least. Yes, Phillips is still at the club, believe it or not. No summer transfer window move materialized here, as he is still currently recuperating from the Achilles surgery (he has that in common with Kovacic) that he underwent this summer.
Hard to say when he might be available to feature again, and even when he is fully match fit, he is unlikely to be picked.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter