Man City’s Haaland, Doku, and De Bruyne injury updates and return schedules ahead of their Club World Cup matchup with Urawa Red Diamonds
This week, Manchester City will participate in their first-ever Club World Cup. This evening, they will play Urawa Red Diamonds in the semi-final.
At King Abdullah Sports City, Pep Guardiola’s team will leave with the intention of securing a spot in Friday’s championship. Last night, Brazilian team Fluminense defeated Egyptian team Al Ahly 2-0 to guarantee their spot.
After their Saturday 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace, City flew to Jeddah. On Monday, they exercised, and midfielder Kevin De Bruyne was an unexpected addition. However, teammates Jeremy Doku and Erling Haaland both missed out and are questionable for the competition.
Erling Haaland
Injury: Foot
Return date: TBC
Latest: Guardiola has labelled Haaland’s foot issue as a “stress” injury, which has prevented him from playing in City’s last three games. Despite travelling to Jeddah with the team, he was absent from Monday’s open training session.
Guardiola stated: “We’ll see how he feels once the medics see him after he arrives [on Friday]. He received therapy while gone. We’ll see if he can play in the first or second game, or when we return, assuming he can make the trip to Saudi Arabia. Although I doubt he’ll play [against Palace], he might surprise me.
“Sometimes players recover fast, sometimes longer. How he feels, day by day, week by week. He will play as soon as he is pain-free.”
Jeremy Doku
Injury: Muscular
Return date: TBC
Most recent: Doku has missed the last two games after being sent off during the 2-1 victory against Luton Town earlier this month. He is in Jeddah, just like Haaland, although he did not workout on Monday.
Guardiola stated: “We have to consider it because of his explosiveness, but it’s a muscular condition that isn’t as serious as, say, Kevin’s. We must exercise caution. He might be ready in a week or two, I’m not sure, and then he’ll be ready once more.”
Kevin De Bruyne
Injury: Hamstring
Predicted return date: January 2024
Most recent: De Bruyne surprised everyone by showing up for Monday’s training session after travelling with the team to continue his recuperation following a four-month layoff. Given the duration of his absence and the ease with which the injury returned the last time, it is still improbable that he will play in either of the Club World Cup games or the December matches against Everton and Sheffield United.
“If he [De Bruyne] said January, it’s January,” stated Guardiola. If only we could have him for the entire season. However, if he says, “May everyone have a happy new year.”