The calendar promises to be busy for Manchester City this summer, between the preparation of the coming season and the Club World Cup in the United States. But the Citizens will have to introduce themselves without one of their fields, whose injury falls at the worst time. A blow for Pep Guardiola, who will have to reorganize his midfield in a key period.
The player concerned is none other than Mateo Kovacic. The Croatian, injured in the Achilles tendon, was forced to go to the operating table this week. Result: a long -term absence, confirmed by an official club press release. The middle will not participate in the Club World Cup and will also miss the start of the 2025-2026 season. The medical staff evokes a “summer rehabilitation” and a gradual return.
Kovacic, who arrived in City in 2023, had gradually imposed himself in the Mancunian rotation, especially in the intense moments of the season. His absence deprives Guardiola of a reliable, versatile and experienced solution in the middle. If he can count on profiles like de Bruyne, Foden or Nunes, it is the loss of a defensive balance that is felt with this package.
Kovacic private guardiola: a headache in the middle
This new injury recalls a recent precedent: Manchester City had already had to deal with Rodri for a part of the past season. The Spanish midfielder had missed several weeks on injury, weighing heavily on collective performance. The spell seems to be on this key sector of the Citizen game, however essential in the Pep Guardiola system.
While City dreamed of a new world coronation after that of 2023, this injury rebatted the cards. Kovacic will no doubt follow the matches from home, and his rehabilitation could last several months. In the short term, it is a whole balance that will have to be rethought.
