Manchester City winger Savinho faces up to two months out, effectively ruling out a move to Tottenham Hotspur in January.
The Brazilian winger suffered an undisclosed injury in the second half of the 0-0 draw at Sunderland on New Year’s Day.
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He then missed City’s subsequent 1-1 home draw against Chelsea and Brighton.
And in a blow to their Premier League title rivals, head coach Pep Guardiola has now confirmed he may not return until March.
At his press conference after the game against the Seagulls, the Spaniard was asked how long Savinho would be out, to which he replied: “Long.”
Pressed on whether the 21-year-old will miss the rest of the season, Guardiola said: “No! Come on… long is long, but it’s not a century!”
“A month and a half, two months, but he’ll be back.”
Savin-oh no!
While City now have a key player on the treatment table for the foreseeable future, Spurs will now likely have to turn to a new winger.
The north London giants were in the market for a new striker after selling Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace for £35million.
The Pitch Prospect recently reported that Spurs are planning a move to bring Savinho to the club after missing out on him last summer.
With Thomas Frank already under pressure after the 3-2 away defeat at Bournemouth on Wednesday evening, his recruitment planning is now causing him even more headaches.
City will soon welcome Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth in a £65million deal.
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And Guardiola remained tight-lipped on whether City will try to replace Savinho before the winter transfer window closes on February 3.
He simply said, “I don’t know.”
“I don’t know what will happen in the transfer window, I don’t know.”
It was another frustrating evening for Guardiola and City as they dropped points for the third time in a row.
And while they reduced the gap to leaders Arsenal to five points, they could be eight points behind Mikel Arteta’s men should the Gunners beat Liverpool at the Emirates on Thursday night – live on The Pitch Prospect.
Guardiola commented on the club’s difficulties, saying: “It’s quite obvious, it’s because of the way we play and the energy we have.”
“It’s very simple: the energy and the way we play will create the chances we create, the goals we expect.”
“It’s just that we don’t put the ball in the net, that’s all. I’m not just one player, there are many.”