Forward Jeremy Doku suffered a lower leg injury last week, and he missed out Sunday’s 3-0 Premier League victory at Crystal Palace. According to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, he’ll miss out on tomorrow night’s League Cup quarterfinal clash, at home to Brentford FC, as well.
So when is he coming back? Well, typically Guardiola is very coy, and sometimes even stealth on these kinds of things.
League Cup Quarterfinal FYIs
Manchester City vs Brentford FC
Kickoff: Wed. Dec. 17th, 7:30pm, Etihad Stadium, Manchester, UK
Manchester City Preview Material: Team News Predicted Starting XI
This time was quite different though, as Pep made a prediction about what specific game might mark the return of the Belgian winger.
“Jeremy and John (Stones) are out, Rodri is out. The rest I think will be ready,” Guardiola said at his pre-League Cup media conference earlier today. “I don’t know [how long Doku will be out] Two or three weeks. Sunderland in the New Year maybe. We will see.”
Yes, New Year’s Day, 2026, when City visit the Stadium of Light. If that prediction does indeed hold true, then Jeremy Doku, a player who is very key to the system that Guardiola likes to run, would miss the next three matches then.
In addition to tomorrow, Doku would be absent against West Ham United at the Etihad on Saturday and then again for the visit to Nottingham Forest the following Saturday.
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, RG.org and Ratings.org. 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 and the Washington Post.