Pep Guardiola’s headache over the Manchester City squad’s fitness continues as Manuel Akanji and Matheus Nunes have withdrawn from international duty, adding to the list of sidelined players at the club.
The injury absences have significantly impacted City’s performance, with the team recently losing four consecutive matches across all competitions – a first in Guardiola’s managerial career.
Ruben Dias and John Stones, both key defenders, have also missed recent defeats against Bournemouth, Sporting, and Brighton, and will not take part in the upcoming international fixtures.
Guardiola previously stated that Akanji felt unwell in training ahead of City’s trip to Brighton, “Manu said on Friday, ‘I felt so bad in the training session and I could not move properly,’ and against that team [Brighton], I prefer fresh people.”
Akanji, who was expected to join Switzerland for matches against Serbia and Spain, was officially ruled out on Monday. Portugal also announced that Matheus Nunes is not fit to join their squad, further limiting City’s options in midfield during the international break.
Meanwhile, Jack Grealish may stay with City as well, despite being named in Lee Carsley’s final England squad. Although Grealish has recently returned to training, he has not played since City’s victory over Wolves last month.