The Belgian winger’s comeback provides a timely boost for Manchester City as they look to maintain their relentless pursuit of Arsenal in the Premier League title race
Manchester City’s pursuit of Arsenal in the Premier League title race continues this Saturday at Elland Road and Pep Guardiola’s arsenal is slowly returning to full strength.
After a month on the sidelines with a calf injury sustained during a Champions League victory over Galatasaray, Jérémy Doku has finally re-joined his teammates on the training pitch.
While City have managed to navigate his absence with clinical precision, winning five straight in all competitions, the return of the Belgian’s explosive pace arrives just as the season enters its most unforgiving stretch.
Speaking at Friday’s pre-match press conference, Guardiola confirmed the winger’s progress but remained characteristically coy regarding his involvement against Leeds United.
For a City side trailing league leaders Arsenal by five points with a game in hand, the margin for error is non-existent, and the medical staff is taking no chances with a recurrence of the injury.
“Yesterday, [he] made the first training session,” Guardiola said of Doku’s return to the grass. “I don’t know [if he’s going to be available]. We’ll talk with the doctors and physios.”
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Defensive reinforcements and January’s immediate impact
The injury crisis that haunted City’s backline throughout January has largely dissipated. The return of Rúben Dias and John Stones has restored a sense of calm to the defence, while the mid-season recruitment of Marc Guéhi from Crystal Palace and Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth has proven to be a masterstroke.
Guéhi has seamlessly integrated into the heart of the defence, earning comparisons to Dias for his composure, while Semenyo has hit the ground running with four goals in his first five appearances.
However, the treatment room at the Etihad is not yet empty. Mateo Kovačić is still in the early stages of individual training following November’s ankle surgery, and Joško Gvardiol is not expected back until at least April as he recovers from a tibial fracture.
Young defender Max Alleyne is also a doubt after a brief but impactful emergency return from his loan at Watford ended in a knock during FA Cup action.
Manchester City are set to travel to Leeds on Saturday in their bid to extend their winning streak over their upcoming opponents to six games. In fact, Leeds’ last home win over the Sky Blues dates back to 2004.