Manchester City has an injury crisis at the back ahead of Saturday’s Premier League match against Crystal Palace, with Pep Guardiola missing Nathan Ake and Aymeric Laporte.
There is no cover if John Stones or Ruben Dias are injured, and Guardiola revealed that he considered signing a defender as cover before deciding against it.
“We thought about it,” he said at the pre-match press conference on Friday (bringing in cover). When we wake up in the morning, we think to ourselves, ‘Oh, maybe we should have bought a central defender!’ But, at the same time, Nathan is returning soon, and Aymer will return in late September/October.”
Luke Mbete is a central defender who recently played for City in a friendly against Barcelona, but the youngster suffered a head injury in the 3-3 draw and may be joining Huddersfield Town on a season-long loan, so he isn’t a viable option.
Rodri has previously played in this role, but his absence in the midfield would be felt. Kalvin Phillips isn’t feeling well ahead of the meeting with Palace, so it’s unclear whether he’ll be able to deputize in his absence.
The 26-year-old has played at center-back in a City shirt before, so Guardiola has options if bad luck strikes, but for the time being, the Sky Blues will be able to avoid square pegs in round holes.
