Man City dealt Manuel Akanji hammer blow with two more doubts for Newcastle clash

Manchester City will be without Manu Akanji for an extended period, with two more players also potentially missing the Newcastle match at the weekend.

Akanji experienced discomfort in his groin after blocking a shot from Vinicius Jr towards the end of the first half and did not return for the second half.

He was replaced by Rico Lewis, while Matheus Nunes has also filled that position recently. On Friday, Pep Guardiola confirmed that Akanji requires surgery for an issue that will sideline him for eight to ten weeks.

Minor concerns also exist over Jack Grealish and Nico Gonzalez. "Surgery on Saturday, 8-10 weeks out. Adductor is broken," Guardiola announced.

"We wish the best recovery for Manu because the effort he has put in this season has been unbelievable. He and Nathan played under difficult conditions to help the team due to a shortage of players in those positions. In the end, the body said enough is enough."

Grealish started back-to-back games for the first time since September after impressing against Real with his performance against Leyton Orient. The 29-year-old played a key role in Erling Haaland's opening goal but had to be substituted shortly after, with Phil Foden taking his place.

"It's not as severe as what Manu has done but I don't think he will be ready for tomorrow. We will assess in the next few hours," Guardiola added.

Rodri and Oscar Bobb remain unavailable, while Nico Gonzalez was an unused substitute against Real following a knock he picked up in the FA Cup at Leyton Orient.

"It wasn't a difficult start, he was just injured. A difficult start is when you played bad but that was not how he played.

"He had a little pain and still for Madrid he wasn't fully fit. Day by day he's getting better and with Jack we will assess in a few hours."

This article originally appeared on the Manchester Evening News