Manchester City Injury News: Key Players Return for Fixture Run

In May of this year, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was adamant that he did not want a large squad heading into the 2025/26 season.

“It's impossible for my soul to leave my players in the tribune, that they cannot play,” he said. “I don't want to have 24, 25, 26 players when everyone is fit. If I have injuries, [I’m] unlucky. We have some players from the academy and we’ll do it that way.”

Rather than taking that statement purely at face value, or his suggestion that he might even walk away if the squad became bloated, it felt more like Guardiola was preparing the ground for significant departures. A new era swiftly followed, with Ederson, Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gündogan, Kyle Walker, and Jack Grealish (on loan) all leaving the club.

According to the club’s official website, six senior players are currently out on loan: Manuel Akanji, Vitor Reis, Joshua Wilson-Esbrand, Claudio Echeverri, Sverre Nypan, and Grealish. Of those still listed in the first-team squad, Marcus Bettinelli and Kalvin Phillips are unlikely to feature this season.

Even trimming away those fringe figures, City still have 24 first-team players competing for minutes. This is precisely the number Guardiola had publicly vowed to avoid. Yet so far, no journalist has revisited that contradiction. That’s largely because the club’s consistency has masked an ‘injury crisis’ that contributed to the club’s shaky start and lack of 24 first-teamers available at one time. However, City’s form has held steady in the last four games.

Injury Boost Incoming

After the October international break, Guardiola is set to welcome back several key players. Omar Marmoush, Rayan Aït-Nouri, Abdukodir Khusanov, and Rayan Cherki are all expected to return during a congested run between now and the New Year.

City fans haven’t seen much of Aït-Nouri outside his brief appearances at the Club World Cup and his league debut, but they already recognise the quality he brings. By the start of the season, Guardiola viewed the Algerian as his first-choice left-back; a testament to his ability. In his absence, Nico O’Reilly has impressed in an unorthodox full-back role, showing electric chemistry with Jeremy Doku. The teenager’s performances even earned him a senior England call-up this month, giving Guardiola a genuine selection dilemma moving forward.

Equally impressive before injury was Abdukodir Khusanov. The Uzbek defender had quietly made the right-back position his own, thriving in a role Guardiola has experimented with more than any other. While Matheus Nunes has deputised effectively there in recent games, Guardiola must now decide whether to persist with the midfielder or restore Khusanov once fit.

There’s no doubt that Omar Marmoush and Rayan Cherki will boost City’s attacking options upon their returns. Marmoush’s influence last season was immediate. Nine goal contributions in just 16 appearances, whilst injecting pace, energy, and directness into the side was promising. Cherki, meanwhile, provides a more flamboyant, creative option in central areas. The resurgence of Phil Foden (AM) and Jeremy Doku (LM) may complicate his route back into the starting XI, but with City competing on multiple fronts, opportunities will come - perhaps even out wide.

Over the next four months, City face a relentless schedule: Premier League, Champions League, EFL Cup, and later the FA Cup game(s) in January. Guardiola’s squad, once criticised for being too big by the man himself, may soon feel just right again.