Matheus Nunes is the fourth Manchester City player to withdraw from international duty during the current international break, as the club’s injury crisis worsens.
The midfielder had been named to Portugal’s squad for upcoming matches against Liechtenstein and Iceland, but it was announced on Wednesday that Nunes had been forced to withdraw from the squad.
“The midfielder is ruled out of Portugal’s two games,” the official statement said. “After undergoing tests, Matheus Nunes was declared clinically unfit for the National Team’s two games against Liechtenstein and Iceland.” The player will no longer accompany the rest of the national delegation to Zurich.”
Nunes, who joined City from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer, joins an ever-growing list of absentees. Over the last week, the Premier League champions have also seen Nathan Ake, Mateo Kovacic, and Ederson withdraw from their respective international squads.
Ake suffered an injury at the end of last week and was forced to miss Chelsea’s 4-4 draw on Sunday. As a result, the centre-back withdrew from the Netherlands squad.
According to Brazil team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar, Ederson suffered a foot injury at Stamford Bridge, resulting in ‘intense’ pain. “The foot became swollen, difficult to walk,” he told me.
“At first, we postponed the presentation to take exams. After the exams, and also due to the short time, the issue of displacement, he would not be available at the first moment.”
As for Kovacic, he did not meet up with Croatia for the crucial Euro 2024 qualifiers against Latvia and Armenia. “Mateo Kovacic also felt a muscle last night [Sunday], so he will not come today. He is staying in Manchester for a check-up,” said manager Zlatko Dalic.
John Stones also picked up an injury last week, while Sergio Gomez is suffering from a knock and Kevin De Bruyne is a long-term absentee with a hamstring problem. It means have just 14 senior outfield players available at present, which includes Oscar Bobb and Kalvin Phillips, who are yet to start a league match this season.
The rash of injuries comes at an inconvenient time for City, who return from the international break with a home game against second-placed Liverpool. The Blues will also play top-five teams in their next two games, against Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa.
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