Last weekend, Mateo Kovačić missed Manchester City’s 3-1 win over AFC Bournemouth due to an injury. After the match, Pep Guardiola confirmed the midfielder will be “out for a while.”
The Croatia international underwent surgery in June and was sidelined for over 100 days. Since regaining fitness, he made two appearances before suffering a fresh blow.
Sportske Novosti cover the latest on Kovačić, and the update isn’t positive for him and Manchester City.
The outlet states: ‘[The] arthroscopic procedure in June went smoothly, solving Kovačić’s problem with his painful heel bone, removing the deformity that was causing him great pain.’
He’s now experiencing a ‘new pain in the heel area’. Last week, he travelled to London to carry out tests, including an MRI scan. He also visited Dr. James Caldar, who carried out the surgery on him in June.
The results have shown ‘calcification’ in the heel, resulting in pain and inflammation when these deposits harden. The report states the player underwent conservative therapy at Manchester City, which didn’t solve the issue.
Therefore, Sportske Novosti claim Kovačić he has to undergo surgery, which is ‘lighter in structure than the one he had in June’.
The report states the surgery should be carried out by a London specialist, probably by the end of this week. It’s further claimed the rehabilitation process is expected lasts around four months.
In other words, Kovačić is expected to return late in February or early March.