Man City suffer double injury blow during Barcelona friendly ahead of Crystal Palace game

Kalvin Phillips appeared to pick up an injury in Manchester City’s charity game with Barcelona on Wednesday night.

The ex-Leeds United midfielder started the game at the Nou Camp but had to be replaced on 57 minutes after seeming to hurt his upper body.

It was unclear whether the injury was sustained to the arm or shoulder, but after attempting to play on, Phillips ultimately signalled to the City bench to indicate he had to be replaced.

The England international did laugh with Pep Guardiola after he came off and was seen back on the pitch following the full-time whistle, which could ease concerns it’s a serious problem.

However, Phillips has suffered two shoulder injuries in the last two years, and there will be hope at the Etihad that this is not a recurrence of the same issues for the summer signing.

The potential injury comes as a blow to Phillips after a slow start at City due to other niggles. He has not started in any of the club’s four competitive matches this season and has played just one minute across those games.

There’s also concern for Luke Mbete, with the young defender taken off on a stretcher in the latter stages of the game and appeared to have suffered a head injury.

The Blues are short on defensive options at present, with Nathan Ake picking up a groin issue at the weekend, while Aymeric Laporte is also absent due to a knee problem.

Meanwhile, City drew 3-3 with Barcelona in a match to raise funds for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research through the Luzon Foundation.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Frenkie de Jong and Memphis Depay netted for the hosts, with Julian Alvarez, Cole Palmer and Riyad Mahrez scoring for City, the latter being a penalty in the ninth minute of injury-time which levelled the game.

Next up for the Premier League champions is a home game against Crystal Palace, a match Guardiola will be hoping Phillips and Mbete are fit to feature in.

The Eagles proved to be a tricky opponent for City last season, and they failed to win either match against Patrick Vieira’s men, including a 2-0 loss at the Etihad in October.