Premier League giants Manchester City has announced Serbian defender Matija Nastasic could miss the entire first month of the new season of the Premier League after suffering an injury during the club’s pre-season tour of Asia.
With star striker Sergio Aguero scheduled to return for Manuel Pellegrini’s side after a long lay off with injury, things were looking bright on the injury front for City but the news of the young defender’s injury has left things gloomy once again.
Aguero hasn’t featured for City since Manuel Pellegrini was announced as the club’s new manager at the end of last month and his return is bound to be a welcome boost for the team in spite of adding more firepower up front in the close season with the addition of two strikers. However, the injury blow to Nastasic is sure to be a huge one for Manchester City as he would have definitely been a starter alongside skipper Vincent Kompany at the heart of the City defense.
The Serbian international defender hobbled off the pitch with an ankle injury during last month’s Barclays Asia Trophy match against Sunderland in Hong Kong in a pitch that was described as unsuitable for football. This means Pellegrini will have to once again tinker with the side and this is definitely good news for England defender Joleon Lescott who is sure to play a part in the Manchester City side that will kick off its Premier League campaign on the 19th of this month.
The dilemma facing Pellegrini is, however, with an option to fall back on if either one of those two players were to get injured and the lack of a suitable and experienced defender in the team list and could prompt the City manager to splash the cash for a defender again.