Manchester City have had a season to forget, but it looks as though it will at least end with the club securing Champions League football.
Manchester City beat Bournemouth 3-1 on Tuesday night to put themselves in a good position going into the final day of Premier League action on Sunday.
City now sit third in the table on 68 points, and just one more point will put City in the Champions League.
But fans will still be nervous, because weekend opponents Fulham have proven to be a tough nut to crack for many this season.
But hopefully City will get the job done at Craven Cottage.
But one man who likely won’t be featuring is Mateo Kovacic, with some significant injury news now emerging.
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Mateo Kovacic set for surgery after contending with ‘chronic’ injury
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Kovacic was sadly forced to miss the FA Cup final last weekend due to injury.
He surely would have played had he been fit, because Kovacic shone against Nottingham Forest in the semi-final, and has generally been in great form lately,
Indeed, Pep Guardiola even admitted Kovacic had been showing his best form under him since he signed from Chelsea.
Kovacic did return to action for City in the win over Bournemouth, getting sent off in the second half for a foul as the last man.
So he won’t be playing against Fulham, but Kovacic may not have played anyway.
Mateo Kovacic for Man City in 2024/25
Appearances – 42
Minutes played – 2834
Goals – 7
Assists – 3
That’s because he’s been struggling with a ‘chronic’ heel bone injury, and Sportske Novosti report that he is now set to undergo surgery to fix the issue.
And this will mean he misses the next games with Croatia in a couple of weeks’ time, and potentially also the Club World Cup with Manchester City.
The idea would be for Kovacic to have a summer of rest, so he can enter the 2025/26 ‘unhindered’.
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
Opportunity knocks for Nico Gonzalez
Kovacic being out of the picture this summer could mean a big chance for Nico Gonzalez to impress for City.
Nico scored a great goal for City against Bournemouth, and it was rather a reminder that he does have something to offer.
Regular opportunities haven’t been as plentiful for him as most expected, with the likes of Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva gobbling up minutes.
But if Kovacic – who cost City £30 million (BBC Sport) – isn’t available for the Club World Cup, then it could be his time to shine, with Rodri also likely to return to the engine room.
City fans thought Nico and Rodri looked good together in the late stages of the game against Bournemouth, so hopefully, we do see that this summer in the US.