Jeremy Doku will miss the opening weeks of Manchester City's season after picking up a calf injury during the Community Shield. The Belgian winger was one of City's best players last year but will be sidelined for the opening weeks of this campaign in another blow for the Blues.
Doku only returned to the club last week after being given extra leave following his efforts with Belgium getting to the World Cup quarter-final. He was thrown straight into the starting XI against Arsenal in Cardiff but was only ever going to play 45 minutes before being replaced.
Scans reveal minor problem
However, the 24-year-old felt an issue in his calf that subsequent scans showed was a minor problem. He will definitely miss the Bournemouth game and could also miss matches against Crystal Palace and Coventry.
"Unfortunately in the last game at half-time he was complaining about pain in his calf. The idea with him anyway was to play 45 minutes so the change was planned but at the moment it looks like two or three weeks," said Maresca.
Nunes recovers for season opener
The City boss did, however, say that Matheus Nunes has recovered from the problem he suffered in the warm-up at Cardiff that stopped him having any minutes in the Community Shield. Nunes was only expected to start on the bench but pulled up with an issue that meant he was not risked at all.
City kick off a Premier League season at home for the first time since 2016 when Pep Guardiola had just taken over. They face Bournemouth, the side who held them to a draw in the final week of the 2025/26 season to crown Arsenal as champions.
