Mateo Kovacic could be out till October as the Manchester City midfielder progress rehabilitation after undergoing surgery on his Achilles at the end of last season.
The 31-year-old was Pep Guardiola’s go-to replacement for the injured Rodri in the holding midfield position as Kovacic enjoyed the best goalscoring season of his career, notching seven goals in 42 appearances in all competitions over the course of the 2024-25 campaign.
Since joining from Chelsea after Manchester City’s historic 2023 treble win, Kovacic has been an influential signing for the Blues owing to his experience playing at Real Madrid and Stamford Bridge – as well as his versatility, a quality endeared by Guardiola in his players.
The Croatia international has two years left on his Manchester City contract and despite suggestions that Kovacic could be part of the mass exodus of the ongoing transfer window, it looks like the four-time UEFA Champions Leagueb winner is set to stay put into the 2025-26 campaign.
After Rodri sustained an ACL injury early into the recent season, Manchester City succumbed to a lack of pace and fitness in their midfield department as the Blues recorded their lowest points tally in the Premier League under Guardiola and a third-place finish behind Liverpool and Arsenal.
Nico Gonzalez was signed from Porto in January, with Tijjani Reijnders adding further depth in the midfield areas for Guardiola for the seasons to come. Reijnders has particularly impressed since joining from AC Milan for £46.3 million, scoring twice in City’s 3-0 pre-season victory over Palermo at the weekend.
Kovacic was shown a straight red card in the closing stages of Manchester City’s 3-1 triumph over Bournemouth in May, with the Croatian undergoing surgery in his Achilles days after the final fixture of the season.
After playing no part of Manchester City’s FIFA Club World Cup campaign – where the Blues went out at the Round of 16 stage – there was hope that Kovacic could return to fitness in the first few weeks of the new campaign.
However, Mail Sport have reported that Kovacic is now expected to stay on the sidelines for at least a few more months as he recovers from his surgery and steps up rehabilitation, which could make it as late as October for when Guardiola can call upon the 31-year-old.
The news comes amidst the continued absence of Rodri – who suffered a setback himself at the Club World Cup having returned to fitness – which will see the trio of Ilkay Gundogan, Tijjani Reijnders and Nico Gonzalez collectively shoulder the workload in the number six position for the timebeing.
“We have three. There is Kova (Kovacic), injured until September or October. Rodri is coming back after nine months and we have Nico Gonzalez. Others can play there but are more attacking, more in the box,” Guardiola said on his options in midfield.
“Gundo (Gundogan) can play there (deeper) and Tijjani (Reijnders) can play there but when everybody is fit their position is to play more up front. We have Phil (Foden), (Rayan) Cherki, I don’t know (the rest) – I forget because we have a lot.
“I saw the season schedule in my office and after September, it is (a game in) every three or four days for 11 months. At the end, we will need players.”
Manchester City begin their 2025-26 Premier League campaign away at Wolves on Saturday evening, with their first five games including meetings with Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United, in what will provide an early indicator of City’s prospects in the title race.
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