Manchester City are assessing injury concerns over Jeremy Doku, Matheus Nunes and Omar Marmoush following their 3-0 Community Shield defeat to Arsenal in Cardiff. The loss, which saw City fall behind within 24 seconds and concede twice more before half-time, has left head coach Enzo Maresca with selection headaches ahead of the Premier League opener against Bournemouth on August 23.
Defeat and injuries cloud City's preparation
City were second best throughout, with Riccardo Calafiori opening the scoring after a Myles Lewis-Skelly through ball. Martin Odegaard's cross found Christos Tzolis, whose header set up Kai Havertz for a close-range finish, before Odegaard added a third just after half-time. Maresca had started several first-team players who had only recently returned from World Cup breaks, including Erling Haaland, Elliot Anderson and Nico O'Reilly. He explained the decision post-match: "We decide to start with four with just two or three sessions. The reason why was also because sometimes players prefer to start doing the proper warm-up and start from the beginning. The plan was to change all of them after 45 minutes or one hour maximum, so it's a decision that you take before the game."
Three fresh injury concerns
Matheus Nunes was forced to withdraw from the squad just before kick-off due to an unknown injury. TNT Sports presenter Laura Woods said the 27-year-old was being 'consoled' by physios as he left the pitch. Maresca did not provide an update on Nunes in his post-match press conference.
Jeremy Doku started but was replaced at half-time by Jack Grealish, with ice strapped to his calf. The severity of the Belgium international's injury was not disclosed. Omar Marmoush landed awkwardly after a challenge late in the game and called over Grealish to take a free kick. Maresca said: "He looks okay after the game, we'll see now."
Other absentees and potential returns
Savinho missed the match due to illness, confirmed by Maresca as unrelated to transfer speculation. Ryan McAidoo, who had a shoulder injury, travelled with the squad but did not make the bench. Both could be available for the Bournemouth game, with Marmoush also expected to feature.
