Man City games Cherki could miss after Guardiola confirms major injury blow
Man City games Cherki could miss after Guardiola confirms major injury blow
© Imago
Manchester City playmaker Rayan Cherki is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelined through injury, according to manager Pep Guardiola.
The 21-year-old was signed by the Citizens in June for a reported £34m after enjoying a superb 2024-25 season for Ligue 1 outfit Lyon, scoring 12 goals and registering 22 assists in 44 appearances across all tournaments.
Cherki featured four times for Man City at the FIFA Club World Cup, scoring his first goal for the club in a group-stage win over Al-Ain, before netting on his Premier League debut as a substitute in a 4-0 opening win at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Following the departure of Jack Grealish this summer, Cherki has been handed the No.10 shirt, which suggests that he could have an important role to play under Guardiola.
However, the France international was left out of Man City’s matchday squad for last Sunday’s**2-1 defeat** at Brighton & Hove Albion after picking up an unspecified injury.
After the match at the Amex Stadium, Guardiola told reporters that Cherki will be “out for two months. Seven or eight weeks.”
Cherki’s absence will be sorely missed by a Man City side who have lost two of their opening three Premier League matches and already sit six points behind reigning champions Liverpool heading into the international break.
Manchester City's Rayan Cherki pictured in June 2025
Manchester City's Rayan Cherki pictured in June 2025
Cherki could miss up to 11 Man City games due to injury
Cherki, who was hoping to represent France during the international break, is therefore set to miss a significant chunk of Man City’s season and could be sidelined for as many as 11 games across three different competitions.
The small matter of the Manchester derby is next on the agenda for Man City, who welcome bitter rivals Manchester United to the Etihad Stadium for their first Premier League fixture after the international break on September 14.
Just four days later, Guardiola and co play host to Kevin De Bruyne’s Napoli in their first League Phase fixture of the Champions League, before concluding a challenging week with a trip to Premier League title rivals Arsenal on September 21.
The date for a third-round EFL Cup tie away against Huddersfield Town is yet to be confirmed, but it is likely to be scheduled in the week commencing September 22 due to the Citizens’ European commitments.
Man City return to the Etihad for a favourable home match against newly-promoted Burnley in their final game of September, four days before travelling to Monaco for matchday two of the Champions League on October 1.
Guardiola’s side make the trip to Brentford on October 5 and will have to wait for 13 days for another round of international fixtures to conclude before they welcome Everton to the Etihad on October 18, three days before they are on the road again in the Champions League as they travel to Spain to face Villarreal for matchday three of the League Phase.
Man City’s final fixture in October is a tricky Premier League trip to Aston Villa, before they play host to Bournemouth on November 1, which could prove to be the final game that Cherki misses if he recovered from injury within two months.
Should Cherki need longer to recover from his injury, the playmaker could also miss matches against Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool, Newcastle United, Bayer Leverkusen and Leeds United in November.
Manchester City's Pep Guardiola on August 16, 2025
Manchester City's Pep Guardiola on August 16, 2025
Who will fill creative void at Man City in Cherki’s absence?
Guardiola still has a number of midfield and attacking options to call upon in Cherki’s absence, and one of those who he will soon hope to rely on is Phil Foden.
After enduring a disappointing 2024-25 campaign, Foden experienced a disrupted pre-season with an ankle injury, before making a brief substitute appearance in the 2-0 loss at home to Tottenham.
Foden was then left out of City’s matchday squad for the defeat at Brighton due to injury and he has also been omitted from Thomas Tuchel’s England squad, meaning he now has time to recover from his issue before the Citizens return to action against Man United.
Tijjani Reijnders has operated in an advanced midfield role in two of City’s opening three Premier League games and he particularly excelled on matchday one against Wolves with a goal and an assist.
Last season’s Serie A Midfielder of the Year is expected to play an important role in Guardiola’s first-team this season and he could be called upon to feature higher up the pitch now that Cherki is sidelined for a lengthy spell.
Omar Marmoush is another who could be deployed in a central role in behind Erling Haaland up front, if he is not played on the left flank, where Jeremy Doku will be eyeing up regular starts under Guardiola.
Meanwhile, Foden, Oscar Bobb, Savinho and captain Bernardo Silva are all options to play on the right wing, the latter of whom is more likely to feature in a deep-lying central midfield role, though, along with the likes of Rodri and Nico Gonzalez.
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