Coming out to of the 3-0 FA Community Shield defeat that Manchester City suffered against Arsenal last Sunday, there were two major injury concerns to arise. Jeremy Doku and Matheus Nunes both sustained injuries in Cardiff. Enzo Maresca has provided an update on the fitness of the pair and it is a case of one player in and another out of City's opening Premier League fixture against Bournemouth.
Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca faced the media earlier today ahead of Manchester City's opening Premier League fixture against Bournemouth. Maresca was asked about the fitness of Matheus Nunes and Jeremy Doku. The Italian manager revealed that Matheus Nunes is available to play, while Doku is ruled out of the match against Bournemouth. Maresca explained: " At the moment, the only one [unavailable] is Jeremy Doku. Then Matheus [Nunes] is back, but the rest are all okay. "
Enzo Maresca added that Jeremy Doku sustained a calf injury against Arsenal. Maresca said that the Belgian international is expected to he out for 2-3 weeks. Speaking specifically on Doku's injury, Maresca added: " Unfortunately in the last game at half-time he was complaining about a calf pain."
" Idea was that he would come off, the change was planned and at the moment, [he's out for] 2-3 weeks, no more than that. "
It is a relief that Matheus Nunes is available for Manchester City's opening Premier League fixture against Bournemouth. The Portuguese international is vital to his team and he should start at right-back on Sunday. Manchester City are a better team when Matheus Nunes starts. Hopefully, he is available to play the full 90 minutes against a quality Bournemouth outfit.
Losing Jeremy Doku is a blow for Enzo Maresca's side. The Belgian international is one of City's prominent attacking threats on the left wing. As of right now, Manchester City do need another winger, so for now it seems like Antoine Semenyo will start on the left wing against Bournemouth. That would leave Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden as the main contenders to play on the right wing in Doku's absence.
Manchester City will be without Jeremy Doku to begin the 2026-27 season. That news isn't a surprise given he suffered a calf injury last weekend. The relief is that Matheus Nunes is available to play and he will likely be required to start based on how Manchester City's defence coped against Arsenal.
