Nathan Ake was seen back in Manchester City training on Thursday, providing a major boost for Pep Guardiola’s team, though five key players were missing from the session.
The champions are back in Premier League action on Sunday with an away match against bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Ake could make his return for City after recovering from a hamstring injury he sustained while playing for the Netherlands in September.
The defender joined pre-season late after his Euro 2024 involvement and played only two minutes in the league before picking up an injury last month. This kept him out of all seven matches between the September and October international break, meaning he has effectively been unavailable all season.
Two weeks ago, Guardiola confirmed he was anticipating Ake’s return after the short break in club football. “I expect him back after the international break,” the City manager stated ahead of their 3-2 victory over Fulham.
“I would say without injury, but Nathan is not like Phil Foden, for example, that [clicks fingers] are into training sessions and fit. He needs time. The info I had yesterday is that he has started training on the pitch, and we will see.”
Ake’s return to training suggests he could be available for this weekend’s trip to Molineux. However, there is less encouraging news regarding Kevin De Bruyne.
The 33-year-old was in a similar situation to Ake, with expectations for his return after the international break. However, according to Sky Sports’ Ben Ransom, De Bruyne was absent from Thursday’s training session.
“No sign of KDB, Walker nor Akanji during our open 15 mins,” he posted on X. “Savinho & Ederson not back yet after playing for Brazil.”
Along with De Bruyne’s absence, the missing of Kyle Walker and Manuel Akanji is worrying. Both players featured for their national teams during the international break, but it’s uncertain whether they’ve picked up injuries. Guardiola will provide an update on Friday during his pre-match press conference.
The Catalan only didn’t name a full bench last time out against Fulham and also selected two goalkeepers among his substitutes. With Rodri and Oscar Bobb’s long-term injury concerns and Guardiola preferring to work with a smaller squad, he will hope Ake, De Bruyne, Walker, and Akanji are all available over the coming weeks.
Pogba Reveals Guardiola Snub Over Failed Man City Move
Paul Pogba has confessed that he was open to a dramatic move from Manchester United to their rivals, Manchester City, two years ago.
Pogba left United in the summer of 2022 on a free transfer after his contract expired and ended up re-joining Juventus. He left Old Trafford without much fanfare after a disappointing six-year spell in which he didn’t live up to the £89 million he was paid.
City explored the option of signing Pogba as a free agent, with Pep Guardiola looking to replace outgoing captain Fernandinho. They were able to match Pogba’s £300,000-a-week wages and were prepared to compete with Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain for his signature.
The controversial transfer never materialized, but not due to any loyalty Pogba felt toward United. Instead, the midfielder decided against joining their rivals for personal reasons following a burglary at his home and a complex extortion case involving his brother Mathias.
“Honestly, I had a lot of problems,” Pogba told the Daily Mail. “I had the burglary, I had [a] problem with the extortion. I had to leave Manchester. Let’s say it like this: if I didn’t have that (problems), maybe I would have been at City. But with an ‘if’ you can save the world because my head wasn’t about staying in Manchester. But it wasn’t a closed door because I left United for free.”
In March 2022, Pogba’s home in Manchester was broken into while he and his wife, Zulay, were at a game, although their young children were asleep upstairs. The ordeal deeply affected the couple, prompting them to choose Juventus in order to escape the trauma.
City will likely feel relieved they didn’t sign Pogba, considering what has unfolded since. The 31-year-old has barely played for Juventus, struggling with injuries and later receiving a four-year ban after testing positive for elevated levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a substance that can increase testosterone.
Pogba’s ban has since been reduced to 18 months following an appeal, allowing him to return to playing in March. However, it’s still unclear whether this will happen at Juventus, as the club is in discussions with Pogba’s representatives about terminating his contract.
“For now, I still have a contract with Juventus. We are talking to them, and we will see what happens,” Pogba said. “My main focus is to get back on the field and training – be on the pitch with a ball with other players. I’ve been training on my own for a year. It’s lonely. I will be very happy to get back training.”
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