Jeremy Doku is injured again, and he’s also injured in the same part of the body (calf) that he was the last time out. Manchester City assistant Pep Lijnders, instead of the manager himself Pep Guardiola (so this time, we won’t be getting an ultra-specific prediction from Guardiola on when Doku will come back), met the media today and gave an update on the situation:
“It’s a similar injury to last time, only then it was on the lateral side, now it is in the centre. Last time it took 18 days.”
Manchester City at Tottenham Hotspur FYIs
Kick: Sun. Feb 1, 4:30pm, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK
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PL Form: Manchester City DDDLW Tottenham DDLLD
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Man City Team News
“This time, I presume, will be shorter. It’s in the middle one, so we have to take time. He’s a robust player.”
So you can expect that Jeremy Doku will likley return sometime within the next couple of weeks, or so. That’s the bad news. As for the good news, defender Ruben Dias is nearing a return, and although it won’t happen for this match, it should happen soon.
Said Lijnders: “What I can say is he will come back on Monday to team training…”
Meanwhile John Stones, Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic and Savinho all remain sidelined as longer-term injury absentees.
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.