MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Kyle Walker joined Manchester City’s injury list after coming back from England duty with a knee problem and will miss the home match against Sparta Prague in the Champions League on Wednesday.
For Pep Guardiola, this is nothing new.
The City manager said on Tuesday he never felt as angry as near the end of last season when Walker and fellow City and England defender John Stones returned from the international break with injuries sustained in friendlies.
It forced them out of key games for City in the Premier League title run-in and a quarterfinal meeting with Real Madrid in the Champions League. City was ousted by Madrid on penalties after back-to-back draws.
“I never was so angry like that moment — never ever before was I so disappointed,” Guardiola said.
“It was a friendly game. We were playing in the quarterfinals against Madrid, and in the Premier League to win it. For a friendly game, two players came back injured,” Guardiola added, before tutting. “I didn't like it at all.”
England played two Nations League group games in the recent international break. Walker was an unused substitute in the first — a 2-1 loss to Greece — and played the full game in the 3-1 win in Finland on Oct. 13.
“Before when I was a football player, the manager of the national team called the managers from the clubs. Now nobody talks about how (the players) feel, how they are,” Guardiola said.
“I know,” he added, “they don’t want to get injured. Always I encourage them to go to the national team. It’s a pleasure. But when there is a friendly game, you cannot come back injured. I’m sorry.”
Rodri, Oscar Bobb and Kevin De Bruyne are currently the other absentees for City.
De Bruyne is the closest to returning and is back in training, but Guardiola said the midfielder still doesn’t feel right after sustaining a groin injury against Inter Milan in the Champions League on Sept. 18.
With De Bruyne now 33 and often troubled by injuries, Guardiola said he wasn’t willing to take any risks with the Belgium playmaker.
“It’s not a big issue but he doesn’t feel completely fine,” Guardiola said. “Kevin is not 22 years old anymore, he has to be fit for his football. He has to be completely fit and he doesn’t feel comfortable so he cannot express his incredible potential at his best. He said to me, ‘I still don’t feel good.’ So take your time.”
City has four points from its first two games in the group stage of the revamped Champions League after drawing with Inter 0-0 and beating Slovan Bratislava 4-0.
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The Associated Press
