Mateo Kovacic injury setback “a real shame” - but two Man City stars stand to benefit under Pep Guardiola

Mateo Kovacic’s latest injury setback is a “real shame” for the Manchester City midfielder, but Citizens expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany has told Sports Mole that Pep Guardiola’s side are in a “reasonably decent position” to cope without him.

The 31-year-old has played 90 times for Man City across all competitions and has won four trophies, including the 2023-24 Premier League title, since arriving from Chelsea in the summer of 2023.

However, Kovacic has found it challenging to nail down a regular starting spot under Guardiola and his time at the Etihad Stadium has often been disrupted by injuries.

The Croatia international is yet to start a single game for the Citizens in the 2025-26 campaign since undergoing Achilles surgery in June, featuring for just 37 minutes across two substitute appearances in October.

Kovacic had only just recovered from his long-term injury before being left out of Man City’s matchday squad for last weekend’s 3-1 victory over Bournemouth in the Premier League, with the midfielder now nursing an ankle problem.

Guardiola revealed after the match that Kovacic will be out for “a while” and that Man City “will wait on him for the last part of the season."

Man City in a position to ‘move forward’ without Kovacic

This news comes as a “obvious blow” for Man City considering that star lynchpin Rodri has had his fair share of struggles in his recovery from injury, but McInerney still believes that the Citizens are well-equipped to manage without Kovacic.

McInerney has also suggested that Man City could soon be in a position to ‘move forward’ without Kovacic, who has less than two years remaining of his contract and continues to be linked with an exit from the Etihad amid reported interest from clubs in the Premier League and abroad.

Commenting on Kovacic’s latest injury setback, McInerney told Sports Mole: “It's a real shame. Kovacic was pretty consistent and one of our better players last season in a really topsy-turvy season.

“I'll try to choose my words respectfully here, but I do think this season might be Kovacic’s last season anyway. I think there's an element of City potentially moving forward without Kovacic, and I think there were some rumours about him potentially leaving in the summer.

“I want him to be fit. I want him to play football. I do think City are actually in a reasonably decent position now, though, for life without Kovacic, potentially.

Reijnders, Gonzalez are “the future” of Man City - not Kovacic

“I don't want him to be injured, because obviously it's a great discomfort to the player and so on, but I think [Tijjani] Reijnders and Nico Gonzalez, in particular, are beneficiaries of that. And they are the future of Manchester City.

“So in terms of the squad building, it's not the worst-case scenario having Kovacic not there, but in terms of experience and him being a really effective player and quite a likable player, too. It's an obvious blow.

“I think Pep, of course, would love to have that experience and that press resistance, because in this aggressive end-to-end, basketball era of Premier League football, Kovacic is particularly talented at turning and driving past people.”

Only Jeremy Doku has made as many first-team appearances for Man City this season than summer signing Reijnders and January addition Gonzalez (14), and the midfield duo are now set to benefit from the absence of Kovacic.

Reijnders, who has shown glimpses of his talent at the Etihad since joining from AC Milan for around £46.5m in June, has predominantly operated in advanced midfield positions under Guardiola, while Gonzalez has featured regularly in a deep-lying midfield role in the absence of both Rodri and Kovacic.

How Reijnders could learn from “experienced” Kovacic

“I think Reijnders just could actually learn a thing or two from [Kovacic],” said McInerney. “Reijnders has a very similar burst of acceleration, but Kovacic is much more experienced, knows the Premier League better - and also a fantastic new haircut which would have been a shame not to see on the pitch a little bit more!

“As a City fan, looking at the future, I'm not particularly missing [Kovacic] on the pitch right now, and I'm trying to sound respectful there, because obviously I want him back in the squad, I don't want him to be injured, but I think the players that are playing are the ones that probably should be playing, even if Kovacic was around.

“[Ilkay] Gundogan and [Manuel] Akanji at the start of the season were on the bench, because [Guardiola] was prioritising the younger lads, because they are the future. I think that would also, in my opinion, be the case with Kovacic if he was around.

“I'd want Guardiola to be playing Reijnders and Nico Gonzalez anyway, because they are the future of Manchester City, and Kovacic has only got [less than two years left on his contact] anyway.”

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