Manchester City’s Doku will be sidelined until New Year’s

Pep Guardiola said Manchester City will be without injured Belgian winger Jeremy Doku until the New Year after he suffered a leg problem and was absent from City’s 3-0 win over Crystal Palace last week.

City boss Guardiola said ahead of Wednesday’s League Cup quarter-final against Brentford that the influential Doku will not play again for the next three weeks.

Asked when he was likely to return, Guardiola said: «Jeremy will be out for two or three weeks. New Year at Sunderland maybe.»

Doku’s absence is a major blow for Guardiola, in the midst of his most consistent season at City since joining from French club Rennes in 2023.

The 23-year-old has scored three goals and provided five assists, with his dynamic play on the wings helping City striker Erling Haaland enjoy another productive season.

As well as missing Brentford’s visit to the Etihad Stadium, Doku will also be sidelined for the Premier League matches against West Ham United on December 20 and Nottingham Forest on December 27.

City’s visit to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on January 1 will mark the first time Doku has returned. Brazilian winger Savinho is likely to be given the opportunity to replace Doku after losing his place in recent weeks.

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He came off the bench to win a penalty against Palace, but Guardiola impressed more with his work rate.

“He lost one or two balls and within two seconds he was a full-back,” Guardiola said.

«I was incredibly happy. Two actions where he lost the ball, he was a machine. He doesn’t like to listen, but I had to tell him. You come off the bench, you have to run double because the other boys are tired. Savinho is going to play a lot of minutes,» he added.

With just two points behind leaders Arsenal in a tight title race, second-placed City cannot afford any more injuries heading into the hectic Christmas period.

With that in mind, Guardiola will make changes for the match against Brentford, which comes just 72 hours after the hard-fought win over Palace.

«We have some injuries, like John (Stones) and Jeremy. We’ll see. It’s one step to reach the semi-finals,» he said.

«Now we have less recovery. The players who have not played recently are going to play. Some from the youth academy will play because then we play against West Ham. I am not saying that it is not a priority to reach the semi-finals of the League Cup, but normally when we achieve that it is when we have no injuries and we can rotate the team,» Guardiola added.

Published on December 16, 2025