Guardiola shares latest injury update ahead of derby | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola says there has been no improvement regarding our injured defenders.

Rico Lewis’ suspension adds to John Stones, Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji’s absence, leaving the City boss to mull over his options for Sunday’s Manchester derby.

While Ake and Stones seem a while off returning, there was hope Akanji might recover in time for the weekend, but Guardiola says that is unlikely.

“Manu has discomfort in the area for the belly, the abductor,” said Pep.

“It doesn’t feel good, but he made an incredible effort. Against Bournemouth, he and Nathan weren’t even half at their best but helped us by playing there.

“Manu plays 45 minutes and steps back and says, ‘I have to recover, or I can’t compete’. He’s a strong player and so reliable, but in that moment he cannot play.”

Asked if any of his players were playing with injuries at present, the boss replied: “No. I would say Kevin is coming back, last game was better than the previous one, step by step.

“Erling played all the minutes, which is unbelievable, and I don’t know where we would be without him.

“All of them, it’s so emotional from my point of view when I see them in the recovery and time spent in this period.

“It's remarkable and I’m there with them, I say ‘you are good guys’, they play well.

“It’s a difficult situation but we have to accept it. I have to analyse a little bit more than just the results, the players are here, I want to stay close to them, not behind or in front, beside them.

“This is what I want to do.”

There was no further update on Mateo Kovacic and Phil Foden’s availability, but as they both were named as subs for the midweek Champions League clash with Juventus, it is likely they could feature against Manchester United at some stage.