Pep Guardiola cannot wait to welcome Mateo Kovacic back into the Manchester City team after the midfielder returned to the training pitches again. The Croatian midfielder is not expected to return imminently but is well down the road to coming back after his second surgery in the last 12 months.
Kovacic had an operation on an Achilles injury last summer that saw him miss the Club World Cup and ruled him out until September. He made substitute appearances against Everton and Villarreal in the following month but was still in pain and had to undergo more surgery that has seen him out ever since.
Considering he was one of three players Guardiola was counting on in holding midfield this season, and another – Rodri – has also struggled with injuries on his return from an ACL, Kovacic’s absence has been keenly felt. As City look to get stronger for the final months of the season when the Champions League knockouts begin, Guardiola is looking forward to making use of the 31-year-old’s skills and experience.
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“I miss him a lot because his ability in short passes,” he said. “I remember last season when we played without proper wingers and played with a lot of players inside, Bernardo Rodri, him – this connection with Jeremy and Phil was magnificent how they could break 1vs1s, to dribble the opponent and break the next line.
“I have already missed Kova a lot but the last game he played was Fulham before the Club World Cup. He tried to make surgery to be fit for the season and unfortunately it was not good. I spoke with him the last days and he said he feels really, really good compared to the first surgery and hopefully he can help us in the last part of the season.
“To have continuity of a game every three days will take time but as much as you can select good minutes he is a special player with special quality and mentality – another player for the biggest stages, he is so brave. First for his health and life to play football, that is what we want but Kova is an important player that we miss a lot.”
Jeremy Doku and Savinho are also expected to return from their respective injuries in the coming weeks to further bring down the injury list at the Etihad. That would leave Josko Gvardiol as the only player sidelined, although Rodri could face a ban after being charged by the FA for his comments on refereeing after the Spurs draw.
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