Update: Man City injury wait poses uncomfortable transfer question but sets up permanent audition News

Manchester City’s long-running goalkeeper battle could take another twist this week as Ederson is tested for an injury picked up vs Crystal Palace.

Manchester City face a run-in without Ederson as they wait for positive news without their record-breaking goalkeeper, who reminded everyone of his attacking contributions in the same game he sent another uncomfortable reminder.

Ederson’s fourth assist of the season against Crystal Palace extended his Premier League record for the most creative goalkeeper, yet a few minutes later he was limping off and City must now cross their fingers that he will be back before the end of the campaign.

The plan B is not much of a concern. Stefan Ortega will deputise as he has for the last three seasons and mostly done it well. His own levels have arguably dropped this term but so have that of the entire squad – and he’s still done enough to be linked with a permanent exit in the summer for a decent fee.

After that, though, City may have to ask questions they don’t want to over all three goalkeeping options. Ortega strongly considered an exit last summer but ultimately decided he had unfinished business at the Etihad. Now he’s got a little more taste for first-team games and broken into the Germany squad, he will want to guarantee a spot at next summer’s World Cup after a career out of the spotlight.

If he were to seek an exit again, it wouldn’t be a surprise and he couldn’t be blamed. On the other hand, if Ederson is out for a few games, Ortega essentially has an audition to stake his claim once again to be number one.

Ederson was another to strongly flirt with a summer move last year, with Pep Guardiola unsure if the Brazilian would go to Saudi Arabia while he was one of the only senior members on tour in the USA. Like Ortega, Ederson would opt to stay at City but those thoughts won’t have gone away and his latest injury raises a question for new sporting director Hugo Viana.

In his first six seasons at City, Ederson did not miss a single game through injury, sitting out just four times with illness. He went four separate seasons without missing a game but has now been absent for eight games apiece in the last two seasons. It’s a reminder that he is getting older, albeit with the longer career spans of goalkeepers, so Viana must ensure he has a goalkeeping department that can be relied upon next season.

If there are transfer question marks over both Ederson and Ortega, plus nagging injury concerns over the pair, maybe Viana has to seriously consider a new goalkeeper – even as a contingency plan if one or both leave. Another question concerns Scott Carson, who will turn 40 at the start of next season.

Carson is a useful number three, is popular, and takes an important homegrown spot in the squad. But his time at City must come to an end at some point and Viana will know where the club stand on their veteran.

These are not decisions that will be easy, but ones that the next few weeks might pull into clearer focus.

—

Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester City coverage and analysis.

Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.

You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.

And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Talking City podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.