Injury to Claudio Bravo gives Manchester City goalkeeping problem• Chilean faces long spell out after sustaining achilles injury
• Daniel Grimshaw now Pep Guardiola’s only backup to Ederson
Manchester City’s second-choice goalkeeper Claudio Bravo is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering an achilles tendon injury in training. The Premier League champions have announced the Chilean was hurt during a session on Monday and the injury was confirmed following scans. No timescale has yet been put on the 35-year-old’s return and he will now travel to Barcelona for specialist assessment later in the week. The injury leaves Pep Guardiola without experienced back-up to first-choice keeper Ederson. Daniel Grimshaw, 20, is the only other keeper in the first-team squad but he has not yet made a senior appearance. Bravo himself has attempted to put on a brave face over the matter, tweeting: “No matter what happens, or how bad it looks today, life will go on, and tomorrow will certainly be better.”
The news is a second injury blow for City in the space of a week after playmaker Kevin De Bruyne was also hurt in a training session. The Belgian is out for three months with knee ligament damage.
City now find themselves short of goalkeeping options just a fortnight after their former number one Joe Hart joined Burnley on a permanent deal after two seasons out on loan. The England Under-21 international Angus Gunn was sold to Southampton in the summer and another goalkeeper, 19-year-old Montenegrin Arijanet Muric, has been loaned out to Dutch side NAC Breda. Bravo ousted Hart when he joined City from Barcelona in 2016 but lost his place to Ederson after an indifferent first season. He has since been mostly restricted to domestic cup appearances. He last played in City’s victory over Chelsea in the Community Shield earlier this month and has been on the bench for the champions’ first two Premier League games of the season.
A statement from City read: “Manchester City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo has sustained an Achilles tendon injury in today’s training session. The Chilean keeper underwent scans this afternoon which have confirmed a rupture in the tendon of his left foot. He will fly out to Barcelona for further tests on Thursday where the extent of the injury will be examined.”
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/aug/20/claudio-bravo-manchester-city-pep-guardiola
