Manchester City breezed past FC Copenhagen in midweek but that win has come at the cost of injuries to Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva.
City won the match 3-1 but Jack Grealish had to be taken off in the 21st minute while Silva, who scored a goal, went off the pitch in the 78th minute. And speaking after the match, Guardiola confirmed that the pair has sustained knocks.
“Bernardo has a big knock. Looks like a muscular [injury] for Jack Grealish,” Guardiola told BBC Sport Five Live(via Goal). “It is a pity. He helped us to play at the right tempo. He felt it when he rolled on the grass. They know.”
Silva has 10 goal contributions in 17 Premier League starts this season while Jack Grealish has started only seven league games, scoring three goals.
Due to Jeremy Doku’s arrival in the summer, Jack Grealish has been made to fight for his position on the left wing which is why he’s mostly come off the bench. The last time he started a game was in the 5-0 FA Cup win over Huddersfield Town in the first week of January and this fresh injury blow will have a major negative impact in terms of his playing time.
Man City are waiting on further news on Grealish’s injury and even if the injury is not serious, the England international will not be available to play against Chelsea next weekend.
Silva, as said by his manager, is going to be sidelined for a few weeks but Phil Foden can perfectly fit into his position on the right flank.
Grealish’s absence will also be a blow to the manager’s plans but he won’t be losing any sleep because Jeremy Doku has been stellar in his first season at Manchester City.
Honestly speaking, more than Man City, this is a personal loss for Jack Grealish because the addition of competition on the right-hand side has sort of pushed him down the pecking order. Now, this knock means the England international will have to win Pep’s trust all over again.
Apart from these two players Josko Gvardiol is also missing with an ankle injury and the defender won’t be coming back before the next month.
