**Pep Guardiola has revealed that further changes will be made to his defensive unit for the remainder of the campaign amid increasing injury struggles.**
In a season that has been hampered by widespread injury problems for the reigning Premier League champions, the end-of-season ambitions have had to alter dramatically to accommodate for the downfall in results seen across November and December in particular.
City’s attentions are firmly focussed on finishing in the Premier League’s top-four places to secure a spot in next season’s UEFA Champions League, while there remains hope of silverware via the FA Cup in the final weeks of the campaign.
But while some may have thought that the worst of the injury problems may be behind the club, surgical procedures to injuries sustained by Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji in recent weeks, as well as a serious thigh injury to John Stones, has brought new concerns.
Speaking ahead of Manchester City’s weekend trip to face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that more additions will be made to his defensive structure amid the ongoing injury and fitness struggles.
“Some central defenders are coming from the (Manchester City) Academy to train with us because of the absence of the three central defenders,” Pep Guardiola told reporters during his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon.
On the absence timeframe regarding John Stones, Manuel Akanji, and Nathan Ake, Guardiola continued, “Almost until the end of the season, maybe for the World Cup they will be ready, or maybe the last one or two (Premier League) games.
“But when we’re talking about eight, 10 weeks, it’s a lot of time. We are lucky that the Club took the decision to bring someone (Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis) instead of doing it in summer, otherwise we would be in trouble!”
The Manchester City manager has already confirmed that the total timeframes for recovery for all three players could reach up to a period of 11 weeks from their injury being sustained, meaning that the large portion of their business end to the campaign is over.
The Etihad Stadium club and its coaches will predominantly be looking towards the FIFA Club World Cup for a return to action for the trio, with Manchester City expected to take the tournament seriously, particularly given the financial rewards on offer.