Pep Guardiola has confirmed that German player Ilkay Gundogan is set to be out for quite some time after damaging his knee ligament in the match against Watford yesterday. Manchester City’s victory over Watford which was their first win at home in their last 5 games at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League was marred by the German’s injury which looks quite serious.
The injury came after the player twisted his knee following a challenge by Watford player Nordin Amrabat. Gundogan who arrived at City from Dortmund for £20m this June apparently limped off in tears after the injury. SportBILD from Germany claim Gundogan has ruptured his cruciate ligament, which would mean him missing the rest of the season.
Pep Guardiola still does not have a clear idea of how long the player will have to sit on the sidelines, although he is fearful of losing him for several months.
“We're going to miss him I think for a long time, it is the worst news from the day,” Guardiola said.
“The doctor supposes yes but we will know tomorrow. I think so. Tomorrow we will know exactly the diagnosis. It looks like it will not be good. He is sad, so sad.”
Gundogan has been an important part of the City squad this season and has made 16 appearances for the Citizens this season. He has scored 5 times and assisted once as well during that time. A brilliant passer like him will surely be missed by Guardiola who will now decide whether to replace him with Fernandinho or to get a replacement in the January transfer window.
The German teammate and Argentine international Pablo Zabaleta offered his support as he told the media how the player has suffered since the start of the season.
The German has long been afflicted by injuries which had even earlier been an obstruction in his football career. He had dislocated his right knee back at Dortmund, which ensured that he missed out on the Euro 2016 this year.
The midfielder spent much of his time recovering from the injury before joining Manchester City after long being on the radar of Pep Guardiola who was also impressed by him during the Spaniard’s time as the manager of Bayern Munich.
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This injury will be extremely sad for the player whose career has suffered due to injuries and often hampered his growth in the football world. City fans will hope that the knee injury is not as serious as earlier thought and the doctors will soon be confirming it with their final prognosis.
