Manchester City will be without winger Jérémy Doku for the remainder of December after the Belgian picked up a leg injury, dealing Pep Guardiola a timely setback during a busy run of fixtures.
Doku missed City’s convincing 3–0 Premier League victory away to Crystal Palace last weekend, and Guardiola has now confirmed the attacker faces a spell on the sidelines lasting up to three weeks. Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s League Cup quarter-final clash against Brentford, the City boss indicated that a return is unlikely before the New Year.
“Jeremy will be out for two to three weeks,” Guardiola said. “Maybe he can be back around the New Year, possibly for Sunderland.”
The injury interrupts what has been Doku’s most productive and consistent campaign since joining City from Rennes in 2023. The 23-year-old has been a key attacking outlet, contributing three goals and five assists, while his pace and directness have helped create space for Erling Haaland to continue his prolific scoring form.
Doku’s absence means he will also miss Premier League matches against West Ham on December 20 and Nottingham Forest on December 27, in addition to the Brentford cup tie at the Etihad Stadium. The away fixture against Sunderland on January 1 is now pencilled in as his earliest possible comeback.
In the meantime, Brazilian winger Savinho is expected to step in. Despite recently dropping out of the starting line-up, Savinho caught Guardiola’s attention with his work ethic after coming off the bench against Palace, where he won a penalty.
“He lost the ball once or twice, but immediately reacted and tracked back like a full-back,” Guardiola said. “I was very happy with him. He doesn’t like listening, but I had to tell him.”
City will now rely on squad depth and tactical flexibility as they navigate the festive schedule without one of their most influential wide players.
