“He’s injured. Where? On his leg!”
Trainer Pep Guardiola had some explaining to do in front of the Sky Sports cameras when the official Crystal Palace-Manchester City line-ups were announced. In recent months, Doku had become a standout not only for the Red Devils, but also for Manchester City. The fact that he would not be in Guardiola’s team for the first time this season was also big news in England.
The Spanish coach did not want to reveal many details, but according to local newspaper Manchester Evening News it concerns a muscle injury that Doku suffered last Wednesday in the Champions League victory on the field of Real Madrid (1-2). The Belgian attacker again played a strong game there.
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Belgian national coach Rudi Garcia will – just like everyone at Manchester City – hope that the damage is not too bad. Doku was the most decisive player for the Red Devils in the last World Cup qualifying campaign with five goals and three assists.
Garcia certainly has injury concerns up front: all-time top scorer Romelu Lukaku has been out for four months with a thigh injury, although ‘Big Rom’ should soon make his return to his club Napoli. Kevin De Bruyne, the other great star, has been out for months with a tear in his hamstring. That is anything but the ideal run-up to a major tournament.
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