Update: |Man City get positive injury update after Manchester United draw News

Manchester City have seen their season torpedoed by injuries, but there could be some good news around the corner

Pep Guardiola suggested that Manu Akanji could soon return from injury to ease Manchester City’s defensive concerns. The Blues kept a clean sheet at Old Trafford but dropped two more points to leave their hopes of a top-four finish in increasing jeopardy.

One of the major themes of the season has been missing centre-backs, with injuries to all four senior options at the end of October triggering a crisis in form that City still haven’t recovered from. Akanji went down with a groin problem in the Champions League defeat to Real Madrid in February that was expected to put him out for two to three months.

Nathan Ake and John Stones are also out for City, leaving Pep Guardiola to field two attacking midfielders in Nico O’Reilly and Matheus Nunes at full-back for the derby. City’s manager expects all of his recognised options to return before the end of the season, and indicated at Old Trafford that Akanji is closing on a comeback ahead of his teammates.

“Manu Akanji is coming back, you have two young central defenders,” he said. “That is two or three games that we were excellent at the back.

“Ruben [Dias] was incredible, Josko [Gvardiol] was as well, Nico except for the last 20 minutes because he was tired but he played really good. We build from that.”

Guardiola was happy with a number of things that he saw from his team in the derby, although his biggest issue with the team was the way they didn’t move the ball quickly enough. A side that is normally always in the right position to receive the ball weren’t on their usual game on Sunday, meaning they had a disjointed attack and could not properly hurt an average United team.

“We tried to practice one concept to hurt them. We played many times over many years against teams who defend 4-5-1, lose the ball, and run,” he said.

“We knew that they make high pressing and after that they are are able to defend so deep. It has always been since I arrived here nine years ago.

“Ruben wants to try to impose from [Andre] Onana but we defended really well. The home game when we lost 1-2 was completely different, they made better process than they have done today, but this was more for the fact you have to play one tempo and be in the position and after accelerate the game.

“We could not accelerate because we were not in the right position and that’s why today we missed a little bit our tempo to create more chances. Phil had one clear, two or three shots from Kevin and one from Omar. They had their chances but I think it’s fair enough. One point and we move forward.

“We should attack with more fluidity. We missed it because people say we have to move more. No. We have to move less.”

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