MANCHESTER, England — Manchester City will be without Phil Foden and defender Nathan Ake for their upcoming match against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
City’s manager, Pep Guardiola, provided the latest injury news on Friday, which also included an update on defender Manuel Akanji.
“Nathan is out. Manu we’ll see,” Guardiola stated during a press conference.
Foden, who suffered from bronchitis, missed City’s recent 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest, a match that broke the team’s streak of seven games without a win.
“He is not ready,” Guardiola commented regarding Foden’s condition.
The young forward hasn’t found the back of the net in any of his 10 appearances in the Premier League this season, though he has managed to score three goals in five Champions League matches.
Both Ake and Akanji played on Wednesday but picked up injuries during the game.
Guardiola also mentioned that John Stones and Mateo Kovacic are still not fit to return to the squad for the defending champions.
As the weekend approaches, City finds itself in fourth position, while Crystal Palace is precariously placed just above the relegation zone.
In other news, Kevin De Bruyne, who resumed play on Wednesday for the first time since September, made an impressive impact by scoring a goal and providing an assist before being substituted in the 74th minute.
Guardiola noted, “We’ll see how he reacts to this amount of games,” hinting at concerns regarding De Bruyne’s fitness following his return.
De Bruyne’s current contract is set to expire at the end of this season.
When questioned about the progress regarding De Bruyne’s contract situation, Guardiola replied, “I don’t know. I’m not involved in that.
I would like to have a 23-year-old and sign a contract for 10 more years for him, so this is what I would like, but we’ll see.”