Manchester City have suffered another injury blow after Abdukodir Khusanov picked up a problem in the 3-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest. The centre-back completed the match at the City Ground but will not link up with his Uzbekistan teammates for their upcoming fixtures.
The extent of Khusanov's injury is unknown, but it is another issue for boss Enzo Maresca after he saw two more defenders ask to be taken off at Forest. Marc Guehi and Josko Gvardiol both had problems that saw them replaced at half-time, while Nico O'Reilly has been left out of the latest England squad after struggling to be 100 per cent all season.
Defensive Crisis Deepens
Guehi has since pulled out of the England squad, and it remains to be seen if Gvardiol will also step away from his involvement with Croatia, but Maresca needs to find some solidity in his backline. Matheus Nunes has also had injury problems this season, and the team have shipped 17 goals in their last 8 games.
City lost their third Premier League game in a row with defeat at Forest to go into the latest international break on a low note. Maresca admitted his side need a rest as he tries to get to the bottom of their loss of form before they return to action against Fulham a week on Saturday.
Title Hopes Fade
Recent losses have knocked the Blues down to third in the table, six away from leaders Arsenal and also behind surprise package Brighton. Maresca will have to hope he can call on as many defensive options as possible when the squad return late next week.
