Manchester City Injury News And Return Dates: Updates On Jack Grealish, Kevin De Bruyne And Ederson
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Jack Grealish will be in the matchday squad for the FA Cup quarter-final tie against Newcastle this weekend.
The winger has not played since coming off before half-time in the 6-2 win over Luton Town in the last round of the competition. However, when asked at his pre-match press conference whether the England international would be available on Saturday evening, Guardiola replied:
“Yeah [Jack is getting better] He’ll be selected in the group [for this weekend].”
Considering Grealish has not played for nearly three weeks, it’s likely that he will only be on the bench at the Etihad.
Expected Return Date – Saturday 16th March v Newcastle
Kevin De Bruyne has picked up a groin injury and won’t be in contention to face Newcastle in the FA Cup.
The 32-year-old has also been withdrawn from Belgium’s squad for their friendlies against the Republic of Ireland and England later this month.
That prompted concern that De Bruyne may also miss the top-of-the-table clash versus Arsenal.
However, Guardiola has played down those fears, stating that he wasn’t 100% against Liverpool and he just needs to rest. The City boss is confident the Belgian will be available right after the international break.
Expected Return Date – Sunday 31st March v Arsenal
Ederson injured his thigh when he gave away the penalty during the 1-1 draw against Liverpool last weekend. He was subsequently substituted with Stefan Ortega replacing him for the rest of the match.
Like De Bruyne, the Brazilian has been withdrawn from international duty but Guardiola is hopeful that City’s no.1 will be back to face the Gunners:
“Eddie is getting better, hopefully, he’ll be ready after the international break. Tomorrow for sure [he is out].”
“He’ll have two weeks off then, he’ll recover, we’ll see how he feels. Hopefully as soon as possible.”