Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that French midfielder Rayan Cherki will be sidelined for two months after suffering a quadriceps tear.
The 22-year-old, who joined City from Lyon in June for an initial £30.45m, made an immediate impact by scoring on his Premier League debut in a 4-0 win at Wolves. He also started last weekend’s defeat to Tottenham but was absent from the squad as City slipped to a 2-1 loss at Brighton on Sunday.
France’s football federation later announced on X that Cherki had sustained a quadriceps injury, forcing him to withdraw from Didier Deschamps’ squad for September’s World Cup qualifiers. Liverpool forward Hugo Ekitike has been called up as his replacement.
The setback means Cherki will miss several key fixtures, including the first Manchester derby of the season on 14 September. His absence is a blow for Guardiola, who had been gradually integrating the highly rated midfielder into City’s setup.
Cherki had previously faced Manchester United while at Lyon, featuring in a thrilling 5-4 Europa League defeat. Upon arriving at City, he spoke passionately about wanting revenge against United.
“I didn’t like when Manchester United won the game against Lyon because I am a Lyonnais,” Cherki said at the time. “Now I am waiting for the game to kill them.”
City will now be without their summer signing for the next two months as he begins rehabilitation, with Guardiola tasked with reshuffling his midfield options during a crucial run of fixtures.
