Man City head coach Enzo Maresca has confirmed that Jeremy Doku will be sidelined for “2 to 3 weeks”.
The Belgian international started the 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield last Sunday, but he was forced off with an injury at half-time at the Millennium Stadium.
Asked about Doku’s fitness in the build-up to City’s first Premier League fixture against Bournemouth, Maresca said:
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“Unfortunately, in the last game, at half-time, he was complaining about calf pain. [The] idea was that he would come off – the change was planned, and at the moment, [he’s out for] 2-3 weeks, no more than that.”
Doku could be ruled out for up to 4 matches
The 24-year-old won’t be in the matchday squad when Maresca’s men take on Bournemouth at the Etihad this afternoon.
Doku is also expected to miss the subsequent fixture against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Friday, as well as the next home game versus newly promoted Coventry City at the beginning of next month.
The forward may also be touch and go for the Manchester derby at Old Trafford. The Cityzens take on United in 21 days, so his participation in that massive fixture will hinge on his recovery going exactly to plan.
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With the exception of Doku, the rest of the first-team squad is fit and available for selection. There were some doubts over Matheus Nunes’s fitness, after he did not make the substitutes’ bench for the Community Shield last weekend.
Maresca has, though, confirmed that the Portuguese international is “back” in contention, and there is a decent chance that he will return to the starting eleven ahead of Abdukodir Khusanov, who was forced to play out of position at right-back against Arsenal.
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