Manchester City have suffered a significant injury blow ahead of their top-of-the-table Premier League clash against Arsenal on Sunday
Manchester City have suffered a significant injury blow ahead of their top-of-the-table Premier League clash against Arsenal on Sunday
Manchester City could be facing a major injury setback after star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne was forced to leave the field in their Champions League opener against Inter Milan on Wednesday.
De Bruyne, who played only 45 minutes at the Etihad Stadium, appeared to sustain an injury in the 43rd minute of the match. The Belgian was seen clutching his groin and subsequently substituted just before halftime. This injury could have serious implications for City, especially with their Premier League title rivals Arsenal set to visit next.
The midfielder had attempted a shot on Inter Milan’s Yann Sommer and took a corner shortly before his substitution. However, the sight of him kneeling and holding his groin raised concerns among fans and teammates alike.
Meanwhile, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is also grappling with injury issues as the Gunners prepare for their Champions League opener against Atalanta on Thursday. Five first-team players were missing from training, including captain Martin Odegaard, who is sidelined with ligament damage sustained during international duty with Norway.
Arteta confirmed on Wednesday that Odegaard will miss the upcoming Champions League clash against Atalanta after sustaining “significant” damage to his ankle.
“The scan showed that he has some damage to the ligament in his ankle, and it’s quite significant,” Arteta said. “We will lose Martin for a while. It’s especially the damage to one of the ligaments in the ankle that will keep him out.”
Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori, who missed Arsenal’s recent North London Derby due to a calf injury, was spotted in training and is expected to be part of the squad traveling to Italy. Bukayo Saka also participated in training despite having been substituted due to cramp in the Spurs game.
However, Arteta is still without Odegaard, summer signing Mikel Merino, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Kieran Tierney. Tierney continues his recovery from a hamstring injury picked up during the Euros..
