Fresh Manuel Akanji update emerges as Pep Guardiola battles serious injury problems at Man City

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Manchester City were given an injury scare in the build-up to their recent Carabao Cup match against Tottenham Hotspur.

Specifically, Manuel Akanji was dropped from the starting XI after picking up a suspected injury in the warm-up.

The Blues ended up losing the game 2-1, with Savinho adding to City’s long list of injuries after he was stretchered off in the second half.

After the game, Pep Guardiola discussed Akanji’s problem, saying that the defender felt something muscular and was told not to take the risk.

With City’s next game seeing them return to Premier League action with an away match against Bournemouth on Saturday, a fresh update has come to light regarding the Switzerland international and his fitness.

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Journalist shares Manuel Akanji injury update

Following Wednesday’s absence against Spurs, Sky Sports journalist Anton Toloui shared a post on his X account sharing what Akanji had told him about his injury situation ahead of Saturday’s Premier League match at Bournemouth.

He said: “Chatted to #ManCity defender Manuel Akanji for @SkySportsNews earlier. He’s hoping to be back in training tomorrow and ready for Bournemouth on Saturday.

“Akanji pulled out of the Spurs game after feeling a tightness in his groin during the warm-up.”

Guardiola will have his fingers crossed on Akanji’s availability

This season has seen the 29-year-old feature in 12 of the 15 games City have played across all competitions, starting all 12 of them.

As a prominent figure in the squad, it’d be safe to assume that Guardiola will be desperate to have Akanji fit and available for this weekend’s Premier League clash with the Cherries.

With the centre-back now having told Toloui that he hopes to be involved in Friday’s training session and in the frame to feature at Bournemouth, this should give some level of reassurance to the City manager and supporters in this period of heavy injury blows.

Looking beyond that game, City have some crucial league matches to contend with up until the Christmas period of fixtures, meaning that Guardiola will need as many players as possible to be fit.