Kyle Walker gives encouraging injury update on Man City team-mates

Kyle Walker has said he expects a few of his injured Manchester City team-mates to return to the squad this week.

The European champions were without four players - John Stones, Mateo Kovacic, Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish - for the midweek win over Red Star Belgrade, and lost Bernardo Silva just a minute before half-time when he was replaced with a knock. Pep Guardiola said the problem will keep Silva out for the ‘next games’, meaning City could be missing five players for the weekend clash against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.

However, speaking after the Champions League victory on Tuesday, Walker said he is hoping to see a few returning faces before the Forest encounter, and revealed Silva didn’t seem in much pain after the Red Star win.

"I don't know. You're gonna have to speak to him [Silva], but he seems fine in there [the dressing room],” explained the right-back. “I don't know what it's going to be like tomorrow, but I think a few lads will be coming back this week, which is a pleasing sight and the numbers will be fine."

Meanwhile, Guardiola said on Tuesday night that Kovacic looks like the player who set to return quickest. "John still didn't play needs a bit longer, maybe Kova is coming back, Jack maybe one week, 10 days, will be there but after needs to make the conditions."

The five injuries are putting a big strain on City’s relatively small squad and on Tuesday the Blues named an eight-man substitutes’ bench, of which two were goalkeepers. However, Walker said he is not concerned about the lack of options at present.

“We never want to complain about the depth of the squad or the players that we've got or the players that are available or not available,” said the 33-year-old. “We deal with what we've got and that's what we've done for the last number of years now.

“Whatever team we put out we’re very fortunate that normally nine times out of 10, we put on a good performance and get the win that we need.”

Walker has captained the side in seven of City’s eight matches this season - the exception being the Premier League opener against Burnley when De Bruyne wore the armband. The pair, along with Silva, Rodri and Ruben Dias, were confirmed as members of the team’s captain group.

Walker was asked after the Red Star match who is first-choice skipper at present, but refused to be drawn on the matter. “There is a captain but I just feel out of respect to everyone that's involved in it, there's no numbers,” he explained. 

“We're a team and we [the leadership group] are a team inside a team and whoever wears the armband or has the armband on the day or is going to wear the armband, until the time is right, until the certain members in that captaincy group feel it's right to then announce the number or the order, then that's what we'll do.

“But until then, I'm wearing the armband because I was the third captain last season and I'll continue to wear it for the rest of the season until the time's right.  I don't even think it's really necessary. We’re a team inside a team.”