Croatia manager Zlatko Dalić is worried about Manchester City midfielder Mateo Kovačić’s availability for the World Cup.
Croatia face Faroe Islands and Montenegro in qualifiers in this international break.
On Monday, the national team boss spoke at a press conference and was asked about the Manchester City player. Dnevno have relayed his comments.
The 31-year-old underwent surgery in June, and this forced him to miss the first few weeks of this season. Since regaining full fitness, he played two matches for Manchester City before suffering another setback.
Last Tuesday, Sportske Novosti reported Kovačić has been struggling with a new problem in his heel area, subsequently needing fresh surgery.
The latest injury means Dalić won’t be able to count on Kovačić for this month’s matches. The manager hopes he’ll regain fitness and make himself available for the World Cup, if they qualify.
“I hope Kovačić won’t miss the World Cup. He has similar problems to those he had four or five months ago. We believe he’ll be with us at the World Cup. I’d like him to be back in March. It must be tough for him. The injury and the surgery are taking a psychological toll on him. I hope Kovačić gets through it all,” he said.
Pep Guardiola won’t be able to rely upon Kovačić at Manchester City for most part of this season.