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Man City star withdraws from international duty after injury blow
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- Man City star withdraws from international duty after injury blow
Man City star withdraws from international duty after injury blow
Nico O'Reilly injury latest leaves Manchester City facing fresh concern
Manchester City have another problem to manage, and this one arrives at a bad time. As reported by talkSPORT , Nico O'Reilly has left the England camp and returned to his club after an injury setback, with no guarantee yet on how serious the issue is.
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The 21-year-old had already been ruled out of England's 2-0 win away to Czechia and had been following an individual training plan before the decision was made to send him back to City. That means he will miss Saturday's meeting with Denmark and the following home game against Czechia. For club and country, that is not ideal. For City, it is another fitness headache in a season that has rarely allowed calm.
England confirmed the situation in a squad update, stating: "Nico O'Reilly has returned to Manchester City and will play no part in the forthcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures." The statement added: "The left-back sat out the 2-0 victory against Czechia in Prague and has now returned to his club for further assessment." It also made clear that, "No further replacements are planned as the Three Lions prepare to face Croatia in Rijeka on Saturday before returning to Wembley to take on Czechia on Tuesday."
England injury update raises Manchester City questions
There was already uncertainty around O'Reilly before England's latest match. He started in the 3-2 defeat to Spain and completed the full game, then trained separately before the trip to Prague. That sequence usually tells you enough, there was a problem, England hoped time would settle it, and it did not.
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Thomas Tuchel offered little certainty when asked if O'Reilly could recover in time. His answer was direct enough: "I cannot say yes but I cannot say no, that's the honest answer." He then added, "He was not available today, was not on the bench, so we have three days now and we will try everything and push everyone to be available."
Tuchel also underlined how stretched the squad has become: "We used, already, every outfield player and it's only the second match so we need everyone and of course it's an important match that is coming up." He finished with, "Every match from now on is important and of course against a direct competitor so hopefully Nico and Ezri [ Konsa ] can come back, but for today they were not available."
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Thomas Tuchel dealing with growing England absences
O'Reilly is now the sixth player to withdraw from Tuchel's original Nations League squad. Cole Palmer , Declan Rice , Marcus Rashford , Kobbie Mainoo and Tino Livramento had already pulled out before the opener against Spain. So while England can move on without calling up a replacement, that does not mean the issue is trivial.
Lewis Hall is expected to keep his place after an encouraging display against Czechia. That matters for England. For City, the bigger concern is what happens next. O'Reilly now heads back for scans, and until those results arrive, any timetable is guesswork.
Liverpool test could come too soon for Nico O'Reilly
The immediate concern for Manchester City is obvious. O'Reilly is now a doubt for the post-international break trip to Anfield. Liverpool have opened the Premier League campaign strongly and O'Reilly has already featured in four of City's first five league matches. Availability matters, especially for younger players fighting to establish rhythm and trust.
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This report lands in a wider context too. City are dealing with instability and scrutiny, and injuries only sharpen that mood. Losing a useful, versatile option may not define a season on its own, but these issues accumulate. That is how pressure grows.
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From a Manchester City supporter's perspective, this is exactly the sort of update nobody wanted to see. O'Reilly may not be the headline name in the squad, but young players like him become important quickly when the schedule gets heavy and the squad starts creaking. He has been involved, he has played four of the first five league matches, and now he is heading back for scans before a trip to Anfield. That is not a minor footnote.
What makes it worse is the uncertainty. There is no clear diagnosis yet, just the usual holding pattern. He trained alone, then he was unavailable, now he is gone from the camp. Usually that means enough of a problem to worry about, even if nobody wants to say it too loudly yet.
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From a City fan's point of view, there is also a bigger fear. Every season turns on depth, reliability and momentum. Lose one player here, another there, then suddenly key matches arrive and the options are thinner than expected. O'Reilly's versatility matters because he can plug holes. If he misses Liverpool, that flexibility disappears straight away.
Supporters will also look at the broader situation around the club and feel the tension rising. When there is noise off the pitch, the last thing you want is uncertainty on it. City need fit players, simple as that. Right now, this looks like one more complication in a season that already feels uneasy.
