Manchester City Switzerland defender Manuel Akanji has suffered an injury while in international duty, just ahead of his team’s upcoming Premier League match against Arsenal.
Switzerland is scheduled to play against Ireland in a friendly in Dublin on Tuesday evening, but Akanji will miss the game due to his injury.
Despite having started in Switzerland’s last 16 matches, the 28-year-old will not be available for selection tonight, raising concerns about his availability for Sunday’s crucial encounter against Arsenal.
The centre-half, who joined the champions from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, has been a key player for Pep Guardiola this season, starting 19 of their 28 league matches.
The latest injury scare comes just days after Kyle Walker was forced off playing for England in Saturday night’s friendly clash against Brazil.
Read Also: Deschamps: Arsenal William Saliba Still Unfit For Starting XI With France
The 33-year-old injured his left hamstring while sprinting back to clear Vinicius Jr’s effort off the line.
While he tried to continue, he was taken off before the 20-minute mark and subsequently withdrew from the England squad ahead of tonight’s friendly meeting with Belgium.
While City were left to sweat on his fitness, reports suggest they are hopeful Walker only suffered a minor injury and that he will be available for the visit of Mikel Arteta’s side.
Elsewhere at City, both Kevin de Bruyne and Jack Grealish were pictured in training this week.
Both midfielders have been struggling with groin problems, with de Bruyne missing the FA Cup quarter-final win over Newcastle United before withdrawing from the Belgium squad earlier this month.
Both City and Arsenal will be keeping a close eye on Norway’s friendly game against Slovakia tonight.
Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard are expected to start before they face off on opposing sides in Manchester this weekend.
