Phil Foden is set to miss England's Euro 2024 qualifier with Ukraine on Sunday, and could also be out for some huge games in the Premier League and Champions League.
Foden has become a vital player for both club and country but could be out of action as he recovers from surgery, after suffering a bout of appendicitis, according to the Mirror.
The 22-year-old is said to have trained ahead of the game, and was hoping to play at Wembley, before feeling unwell whilst in camp.
Advert
He is said to have already undergone surgery, having been checked by the doctor, and will obviously miss the game against Ukraine.
It is the latest blow this week for the City star, who came on as a substitute in the first qualifier against Italy, on Thursday night, only for Luke Shaw's red card to mean he had to come back off, just 12 minutes later.
After the match, Gareth Southgate was asked if the quick subbing could lead to unrest, with the Three Lions manager saying, "No, he [Foden] came up to me and said 'I know, I get it' – he knew exactly what we needed to do.
"You obviously don't want to do that but we needed to get the full-back on.
Advert
"And we felt the change of the shape with them having to play around us but with enough bodies to deal with crosses but with wing-backs to stop those crosses was the right way to get around that."
It seems like there's every chance he was due to start on Sunday evening, with earlier reports claiming James Maddison would start the game.
It's likely that, had he been available, it would have been Foden on the left but his surgery has given the Leicester City star the chance for his first start for the national team, and only his second cap.
Advert
It's not just the national team who could feel the effect of losing Foden, with Pep Guardiola and Manchester City still needing the young forward.
The academy graduate would expect to be out for between one and four weeks following his surgery, which could mean missing the Premier League game with Liverpool next weekend.
On top of that, City have their huge Champions League tie with Bayern Munich, which will see Guardiola meet new Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel again, and their FA Cup semi-final with Sheffield United.
Foden has started 17 games in the league for his club this season, scoring nine goals and assisting four others, but they remain eight points behind Arsenal.
Topics: Football, England, Manchester City, Euro 2024, Premier League, Champions League, Phil Foden
Ryan Sidle