Man City forced into late Enzo Fernandez change as new injury worry emerges for Enzo Maresca

By Ben Knapton | 05 Sep 2026 15:24, Last updated: 05 Sep 2026 15:24

Manchester City were forced into a precocious alteration earlier kickoff successful their Premier League clash with Coventry City, arsenic Nico O'Reilly pulled up injured successful the warm-up.

The England planetary was owed to commencement alongside Elliot Anderson successful the motor country against Frank Lampard's men, having been fixed the motion implicit Enzo Fernandez.

The second was primitively named connected the seat pursuing his £125m deadline-day accomplishment from Chelsea, but helium was unexpectedly pressed into enactment earlier than Enzo Maresca had planned.

O'Reilly was seen holding his backmost and moving uncomfortably during the warm-up, and the versatile youngster was forced to driblet retired of the XI, arsenic Fernandez came successful for his afloat debut.

The Argentine joined Iliman Ndiaye successful the starting lineup arsenic Man City's 2 deadline-day arrivals made their afloat debuts against the newly-promoted side, though Ayyoub Bouaddi was near connected the seat again.

How galore Man City games could Nico O'Reilly miss?

There is small accusation connected O'Reilly's wounded astatine the clip of writing, lone that the Englishman was evidently struggling with his back, suggesting astatine a imaginable muscular problem.

Maresca volition undoubtedly beryllium asked for an update successful his post-game property conference, but back injuries are typically categorised into 3 antithetic groups of severity - people one, people 2 and people three.

A Grade 1 wounded refers to a insignificant strain oregon musculus tightness, the slightest terrible of the three, though specified injuries tin inactive instrumentality 2 weeks to heal, meaning O'Reilly would beryllium astatine hazard of sitting retired games against Porto and derby rivals Manchester United.

A Grade 2 wounded tin instrumentality up to six weeks of recovery, putting O'Reilly astatine hazard of missing matches against Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain successful October, portion a Grade 3 wounded could render a subordinate unavailable for months.

Arsenal's William Saliba exacerbated an existing backmost injury portion playing for France astatine the World Cup, and the defender is improbable to instrumentality to enactment earlier the extremity of the calendar year.

Man City's grounds with and without Nico O'Reilly

O'Reilly is conscionable 1 of 2 wounded concerns for Man City astatine present, arsenic Jeremy Doku is dealing with a calf occupation and is not guaranteed to instrumentality earlier the planetary break.

The beingness of Ndiaye, Antoine Semenyo and Phil Foden means that City are well-covered without Doku, and the aforesaid is seemingly existent for O'Reilly with Anderson, Bouaddi and Fernandez each arriving.

However, the quality successful Man City's occurrence rates with and without the Englishman are striking; since the commencement of 2024-25, the Sky Blues person won 71.4% of games with O'Reilly playing, but that percent drops to 42.6% without him.

Overall, Man City person suffered conscionable 10 losses from 77 games with O'Reilly progressive implicit the past two-and-a-bit seasons, but they person been beaten successful 18 of their 47 O'Reilly-less fixtures.