International manager worried about Manchester City injury ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup | OneFootball

Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic admits he is worried about the availability of Manchester City midfielder Mateo Kovacic ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup next summer. 

The versatile central midfielder joined Pep Guardiola’s side in the summer of 2023 and won the Premier League in his first season with the club, going on to make a total of 90 appearances across all competitions to date.

The former Real Madrid and Chelsea man was crucial for City last season after the club suffered a long-term injury to Rodri and while not being a like-for-like replacement, his performances in midfield brought improvement to Guardiola’s then-substandard side. 

In June however, Mateo Kovacic suffered an injury to his achilles which required surgery but even after he had managed to return to training for the club and make two appearances for the Premier League side, he suffered another setback.

As a result, his injury troubles have concerned Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic, who has been speaking ahead of fixtures against the Faroe Islands and Montenegro in the upcoming November international break. 

“I hope [Mateo] Kovacic won’t miss the World Cup,” he said as relayed by Dnevno, and translated by Sport Witness.

He continued, “He has similar problems to those he had four or five months ago. We believe he’ll be with us at the World Cup.

“I’d like him to be back in March. It must be tough for him, the injury and the surgery are taking a psychological toll on him.”

Last Tuesday, it was reported by Sportske Novosti that Mateo Kovacic had been struggling with a fresh problem in his heel and as a result will hardly feature for Manchester City in the coming months, amid a need for more surgery.

Thankfully for Pep Guardiola and his plans, City have looked stable in the centre of the park in recent matches largely through the improved and impressive performances of Nico Gonzalez at the base of midfield during the absence of Rodri.

Tijjani Reijnders has brought much-needed energy to the advanced roles supported by the creativity of Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki, as well as the energy and experience provided by club captain Bernardo Silva.

After the international break, City will travel to the North-East where they will take on Newcastle United in the Premier League at St James’ Park.