Manchester City duo Jack Grealish and John Stones did not take part in training on Thursday afternoon.
It was hoped that the pair would be available after the international break but it appears that both players won’t be available for the game against West Ham this weekend.
With Mateo Kovacic already ruled out after sustaining a muscular problem whilst away with Croatia, fans on X are rather concerned about the club’s injury situation:
We are finished…
— Pep (@FootballwGaming) September 14, 2023
the curse continues
— 〚elder〛| ⤼🏔🇨🇭 (@elderMCFC) September 14, 2023
Too many injuries so early in the season
— Patrick (@NwaforPatrick) September 14, 2023
Half our squad is injured pic.twitter.com/f034znoR3Z
— Scott Carson – PARODY (@ScottCarson33) September 14, 2023
Well stones and jack have been absent for a while, and there’s a decent replacement for them. It’s kovacic I’m worried about?! Who’s gonna fill in adequately for him?
— R0DR|| GØAL1️⃣6️⃣ (@Ana__Muhammad) September 14, 2023
pep is back but he has no players to coach😭😭😭
— Aditya Kishore (@Ultimateadi18) September 14, 2023
NOOOOOOOO😭😭😭😭😭😭
— Ugo (@MCFC_Ugo) September 14, 2023
It’s far from ideal preparation ahead of the West Ham game
The Hammers have been in great form at the start of this season, picking up 10 points from their first 4 matches, so travelling to the London Stadium with an understrength squad is certainly not what manager Pep Guardiola would have planned for.
Supporters will be hoping that new signings such as Josko Gvardiol, Matheus Nunes and Jeremy Doku can step up to the plate in the absence of others.
City have an outstanding record against the Hammers
Those concerned that the Premier League champions could drop points may be glad to know that City’s record versus Saturday’s opponents is very good.
The last time that the Citizens lost away to West Ham was in 2014, before Guardiola took charge. The Spaniard has only dropped points once in 8 league visits. That came in October 2020 when the match ended 1-1.
Watch this video on Shots! TV reviewing Manchester City and Manchester United’s transfer window