Doku sidelined for Bournemouth clash
Jeremy Doku will play no part in City's Premier League opener against Bournemouth on Sunday, with the Belgian winger ruled out by the calf problem he picked up in the Community Shield.
Enzo Maresca confirmed on Friday that the 24-year-old is expected to be sidelined for two to three weeks, a blow that arrives just as the new season gets underway.
Doku started last weekend's 3-0 defeat to Arsenal but was withdrawn at half-time after reporting discomfort. The manager offered a straightforward explanation for the change.
“Unfortunately, in the last game at half-time he was complaining about a calf pain,” Maresca said.
The prognosis is relatively encouraging, with the City boss putting the likely recovery time at “2-3 weeks, no more than that”. Even so, the timing is awkward.
Sunday's visit of Bournemouth to the Etihad will be Maresca's first Premier League match in charge, and he will have to plan for it without one of his most direct attacking threats. A two-to-three-week absence could also put next weekend's trip to Newcastle in doubt, although much will depend on how Doku's recovery progresses.
Nunes back in the frame
There is better news elsewhere in the squad. Matheus Nunes is available again after being forced out of the Arsenal game during the warm-up, having been due to start before picking up an injury.
“At the moment, the only one [unavailable] is Jeremy Doku,” Maresca said. “Then Matheus [Nunes] is back. Jeremy, but the rest are all okay.”
It is a frustrating way for Doku to begin life under his new contract, which runs until 2031. He will hope the lay-off proves as short as the manager expects.