Manchester City starter ruled out until 2026 | OneFootball

Jeremy Doku is set to miss Manchester City’s remaining games of the year, with Pep Guardiola also suggesting he’s a doubt for their first match of 2026.

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James Benge reports for CBS Sports that Jeremy Doku is expected to miss between two and three weeks of action with a leg injury, ruling him out of Manchester City’s League Cup quarter-final against Brentford and Premier League clashes against West Ham United and Nottingham Forest.

That means the earliest Doku could return is the New Year’s Day game away to Sunderland on January 1st, though manager Pep Guardiola only suggested that was a possibility, not a certainty.

“I think he will maybe be in Sunderland, maybe,” Guardiola told the media.

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Doku’s absence is a blow for City, given he’s started 17 games and appeared in a further five so far this season, scoring three goals and assisting six. It also coincides with Omar Marmoush’s absence for the Africa Cup of Nations, leaving the team down a couple of forwards.

But games against Brentford, West Ham United, and Nottingham Forest are hardly the toughest City will face this season, with all three clubs in the bottom six in the Premier League table.

If Doku misses the Sunderland game, that will be a far bigger blow, with Sunderland eighth in the table but level on points with fifth place and only eight points behind City.

Sunderland have been particularly strong at home, and they’re still waiting for their first Premier League defeat at the Stadium of Light this season.

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Arsenal will hope the absence of a couple of City forwards leads to a few dropped points, but there’s little doubt Erling Haaland and Phil Foden remain the primary driving forces behind their team’s goalscoring form.

As long as those two remain fit, it’s unlikely there will be too much of a drop-off for Guardiola’s side.