David Platt has admitted Manchester City are concerned about Vincent Kompany's recurring calf injuries and fear his latest presents them with a central defensive crisis because only Joleon Lescott is fully fit in the position. Kompany is almost definitely out for at least two weeks.
The captain lasted 40 minutes of Saturday's 1-0 FA Cup fourth-round win at Stoke City before having to go off. With Matija Nastasic injured and Kolo Touré away on Africa Cup of Nations duty, Karim Rekik, who is 18 and has made one start at left-back, was the sole authentic centre-back on the bench. Roberto Mancini decided to bring on Gaël Clichy, the first-choice left-back, and play with a system of three at the back to cope in Kompany's absence.
"It is a concern that it's not a fresh injury," said the assistant manager. "The calf is the strangest muscle – there is probably more recurrence than with hamstrings, groins and things like that. And it has happened on a couple of occasions but the concern is to make sure we clear the problem and that is what we will be working through."
Kompany first injured his calf towards the end of last season and then had to fly home early from City's tour of Malaysia during the summer to receive further treatment.
He will miss Tuesday evening's game at Queens Park Rangers and is also expected to miss Sunday's visit of Liverpool. But despite Nastasic's fitness to face QPR still being in the balance, Platt played down any suggestion that City might sign a central defender before the transfer window closes on Thursday.
"Circumstances often dictate and have done in the past [how to deal with injury]," the assistant manager said. "Vinnie limped out of the game but he'll be back, not tomorrow obviously. And again, with it being such a difficult market, you can't start stepping into it willy nilly and thinking right: 'We've got to get somebody.'
"It's very difficult. We're at Manchester City. It's a top club that competes for top trophies and as a result of that you can't just get anybody and think they are going to fill the gap that somebody leaves. And that gap Vinnie has left could be a fortnight, three weeks, who knows?
"But it's not a six-month gap, it's not something ridiculous that we feel we can't do with the squad that we've got available. It's a calf strain. My experience of calf strains would be no chance [of QPR], Liverpool [is] a big doubt, with an outside chance. But that would depend on the gravity of it, but you're probably looking at the game after that [Southampton] as being a realistic target."
Regarding Nastasic's availability for QPR, Platt added: "Maybe he'd have to train today [Monday]. He has an inflamed ligament. There is no danger in it at all but we have to wait for the inflammation to work itself out.
"Our options are [Javier] García, who slipped into there on Saturday, Karim Rekik, Matija if he is fit or we can go to a three, as well as Joleon."
No comments:
Post a Comment