**Man City manager Pep Guardiola has revealed that Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri are “close” to returning to full fitness.**
The pair were pictured back in training with the first team this week, and asked about their availability during his pre-match press conference on Friday, Guardiola said:
“They (Marmoush and Ait-Nouri) trained yesterday (on Thursday), they are much, much better – they are close to coming back.”
Ait-Nouri has not featured since the 2-1 defeat to Brighton at the end of August. The Algerian international had sustained an ankle problem.
Marmoush, meanwhile, had been sidelined since the September international break, having suffered a knee injury during Egypt’s match against Burkina Faso.
Guardiola had hoped to have the forward back earlier this month but his recovery has taken slightly longer than expected.
It is not all good news on the injury front for Man City
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Although Guardiola was happy to confirm that Marmoush and Ait-Nouri are back in contention, he was not able to say the same about Rodri.
The 29-year-old picked up a hamstring injury during the 1-0 win over Brentford just before the international break, but he has not recovered in time to face Everton.
Rodri’s estimated recovery time was 2 to 3 weeks, so he could make his comeback against Villarreal in the Champions League or versus Aston Villa next weekend.
Khusanov continues to be absent
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Another player still [**on the sidelines**](https://mancitynews.com/man-city-injury-news-omar-marmoush-rodri-2/) is Abdukodir Khusanov. Guardiola initially stated that the defender would miss just three games after sustaining an injury to his ankle against Arsenal.
However, Khusanov has already been out for four fixtures, and he will not be in the matchday squad that will play Everton, having not taken part in training this week. No estimate has been given for his return to first-team action.
[**Read more about the Man City First Team Squad for 2025/26 here**](https://mancitynews.com/manchester-city-first-team-squad/)