Guardiola gives update on Ake following foot surgery | OneFootball

Nathan Ake could be out for up to 11 weeks following successful surgery on a fracture in his left foot, Pep Guardiola has confirmed.

The Netherlands international was substituted at half-time of our FA Cup fifth round victory over Plymouth at the Etihad Stadium after aggravating the problem which has caused him discomfort throughout his career.

Speaking ahead of our Premier League clash at the City Ground in the 12:30 (UK) kick-off on Saturday 8 March, the City boss has put a timeframe on when he hope to have Ake back in his squad.

“Ten weeks or 11 weeks they said to me,” Guardiola said his pre-match news conference.

“When it is surgery, it is pretty serious. When you have surgery it is because something wrong happened. Important is it is done. He has struggled. It happened.”

With John Stones and Manuel Akanji also ruled out, Guardiola is grateful to be able to call upon the services of Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis following their arrival in January.

Uzbekistan international Khusanov had a difficult on his debut against Chelsea, but quickly put the problem behind him to show his quality on the pitch.

And Brazilian youngster Reis showed his huge potential with impressive performances in the FA Cup victories over Leyton Orient and Plymouth Argyle.

Guardiola also said that defenders from the Academy have also been training with the first team and made a good impression.

WATCH: City's best Premier League moments at Nottingham Forest

“O impacto de Khusanov foi muito bom”, ele acrescentou. “Não no primeiro minuto contra o Chelsea, mas desde então foi muito bom.

“Vitor foi muito bom contra o Plymouth. Agora, alguns zagueiros da Academia estão vindo para jogar conosco.

“Alguns dos veteranos podem estar prontos para o Mundial de Clubes. Não tivemos sorte, mas o clube tomou a decisão de assinar em janeiro e, se não tivéssemos feito isso, não estaríamos em uma boa posição.”