Manchester City defender withdrawn with ‘very serious injury’ in major blow to Pep Guardiola’s options | OneFootball

Nathan Ake was withdrawn from action with the Netherlands having sustained a ‘very serious injury’ in the UEFA Nations League meeting with Germany.

The Dutchman has been undertaken his first consistent minutes of the new season during the international break, with Pep Guardiola slowly re-integrating the versatile defender into action at club level this campaign.

Taking on his first minutes during the FA Community Shield victory against Manchester United in early August, Nathan Ake remained on the bench for wins over Chelsea and Ipswich, before closing out the contest against West Ham prior to an international fortnight.

But Ake’s problems and frustrations on an injury front have returned ahead of the comeback of club football this weekend, with the former Bournemouth defender sustaining what appears to be a serious problem during action on Tuesday night.

Enduring the issue whilst chasing the ball towards the end of the first-half against Germany, Nathan Aké appeared to have ‘pulled a muscle’ while running, with the injury looking ‘very bad’, according to reports.

Additional reporting around the contest detailed that the Manchester City defender was ’emotional’ when being treated and leaving the pitch, appearing to be ‘in terrible pain’ with an issue ‘that will have him sidelined for a while’.

The Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman is expected to provide an update on the severity of the problem following full-time at the Johan Cruijff ArenA, whilst Pep Guardiola is not scheduled to face the media in Manchester until Friday afternoon.

The injury to Ake comes at a crucial time for the club in domestic and continental competition, with Manchester City adding UEFA Champions League and Carabao Cup duties to their busy Premier League schedule this month.

Manchester City will return to English top-flight action on Saturday afternoon as they welcome Brentford to the Etihad Stadium, before facing Inter on matchday one of the revamped Champions League and its League Phase format just days later.

Josko Gvardiol will likely be granted the opportunity to retain the left-back position for a prolonged period of time in light of Nathan Ake’s injury, and Guardiola will maintain confidence in the Croatian’s abilities to do so without too much issue.