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Manchester City have been issued a new injury setback.
Manchester City are set to be without Nathan Ake for a significant period of time following his latest injury setback.
The defender hobbled off the pitch during his side’s latest win over Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup. Pep Guardiola confirmed Ake would be sidelined for ‘a long time’, joining the likes of John Stones and Manuel Akanji on the injury list.
Ake beat City to announcing that he had undergone successful surgery on an issue in his foot that has caused him grief for some time. The 30-year-old posted on Instagram a photo of himself lying in a hospital bed with his left foot in a cast confirming a fracture in his foot has been operated on.
Nathan Ake confirms successful surgery
Ake wrote as his image caption: “This has been such a frustrating season for me but I have now had a successful surgery on a fracture in my foot which has been bothering me for months and I am looking positively to the future! Rest and recover now, see you soon Cityzens and thank you for your support.”
The post has pulled in thousands of comments from fans, teammates and other figure in the footballing space. Liverpool duo and Netherlands teammates Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo were among the many to offer their support by sending heart emojis in the comments. As did fellow Dutch teammates Jurrien Timber and Xavi Simons.
Former Man City and England Women’s captain Steph Houghton wished Ake a ‘speedy recovery’, while plenty of his club teammates and fans also sent across their support and well wishes. City confirmed in their follow-up statement that Ake will ‘rest and recover before starting a period of rehabilitation’.
Man City injury latest
Ake is the latest injury blow for City, who are pushing to secure their place in the top four once the Premier League season ends. Following their narrow win over Tottenham Hotspur, they will return to action this weekend against Nottingham Forest, hoping to recreate their previous 3-0 win over this season’s surprise package team.
Forest are currently just one point ahead of City in the Premier League table, while Chelsea are two points behind. They will make the journey to the City Ground on Saturday but will be without some key figures.
Speaking on the setback with Ake, Guardiola said in the Plymouth post-press conference: “Now again we have central defenders out. I think we are going to miss Nathan. I’m so grateful to the club for bringing Vitor [Reis] and [Abdukodir] Khusanov to the club otherwise we would not have any chance to qualify for the Champions League next season or fight for the FA Cup.”
Stones is also out of action for the long-term but will not require surgery. Guardiola revealed the defender ‘can be recovered during eight to 10 weeks without surgery’. Meanwhile, Akanji is also set to be out for ‘up to ten weeks’ after undergoing surgery on a thigh injury in February.
Oscar Bobb is also out of action after a new setback following his leg break has further delayed his return. Guardiola is hopeful the Norwegian winger will be able to return before the season draws to a close. The glaring miss of the season is Rodri, who was ruled out for the remainder of the season as early as September with an ACL injury. Guardiola has stressed there is ‘no pressure’ for the midfielder to rush his return.
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