Jeremy Doku injury return date revealed as Manchester City consider Antoine Semenyo gamble | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has revealed whether Jeremy Doku will recover from a leg injury in time to face Brentford in the Carabao Cup quarter-final on Wednesday.

Doku was missing from Manchester City’s 20-man matchday squad against Crystal Palace on Sunday as Tijjani Reijnders came in for the 23-year-old forward, who has been in excellent form on the left wing for the Blues in recent months.

City maintained the pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal at the weekend as a brace from Erling Haaland either side of Phil Foden’s seventh league goal of the 2025-26 campaign earned Guardiola’s men a hard-fought 3-0 triumph in south London.

Guardiola does not possess significant depth in the wide attacking areas and Doku’s injury will thereby have greater impetus for an in-transition squad that needs their best players fit and firing as they vie for silverware this season.

Omar Marmoush has joined the Egypt National Team for the 2026 Africa Cup of Nations and with the pair of Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden flourishing and linking well in the centre of the pitch, Guardiola would be reluctant to move either out wide.

Savinho is the obvious contender to fill in for Doku on the left wing as a result, though Guardiola will be desperate to have the high-flying Belgian back in action as Manchester City embark on a demanding run of games over the festive period.

City also have the option of adding greater depth to their frontline in the January 2026 transfer window amid what has been a worrying over-reliance on Haaland to score regularly to keep the Blues in the title race in the first half of the season. The Blues are interested in Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo, who will be available for £65 million next month.

The full extent of Doku’s injury setback is yet to be revealed, though Guardiola commented on the winger’s availability for Brentford when speaking to the media in the immediate aftermath of City’s 3-0 win over Palace on Sunday.

“Jeremy (Doku) is out (against Brentford),” the 54-year-old said as he ruled out the former Rennes man from the Carabao Cup quarter-final, wherein Guardiola is expected to shuffle his pack albeit not to the extent he infamously did against Bayer Leverkusen en route to a 2-0 defeat at home in November.

“I don’t know. Two, three weeks. I don’t know, maybe I think (in the) New Year, in Sunderland maybe, to be sure. Yeah, we’ll see,” Guardiola added when pressed on how long Manchester City can expect to be without Doku.

Rodri and John Stones remained absent against Crystal Palace, with the former stepping up fitness and the latter recovering from a thigh injury sustained in the buildup to City’s 3-0 win over Sunderland a few weeks ago.

Guardiola said: “Jeremy out, John (Stones) out, Rodri out. The rest, I think will be ready (to face Brentford),” though it is worth noting that Mateo Kovacic is also ruled out of action until the spring of 2026 after undergoing surgery on his heel in November.

City have momentum on their side on the domestic and European fronts ahead of Christmas and Guardiola will be aiming for a sixth consecutive win in all competitions when Brentford, led by Keith Andrews, visit the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night.