Pep Guardiola and Manchester City have been rocked with a major injury blow which will see a player miss the entirety of the Club World Cup campaign.
City are one of two English clubs competing in the revamped 32-team tournament in the United States and will face Wydad AC, Al Ain and Juventus in Group G.
Their first game is on June 18 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia but just over a fortnight out and City have confirmed that midfielder Mateo Kovacic will play no part after undergoing surgery.
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Instead, Kovacic will be given time to rehabilitate and recover ahead of the new Premier League season - which kicks off in August.
A statement on City's website said: "Manchester City can confirm that Mateo Kovacic has undergone surgery on an Achilles injury. The Croatian midfielder is now set to miss the FIFA Club World Cup as City head to the USA in June.
"Mateo will spend the summer rehabilitating from the operation and everyone at the Club wishes him a speedy recovery."
Kovacic, a £25 million signing from Chelsea in 2023, was a mainstay for City last season in the absence of Rodri and made 42 appearances in all competitions.
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He missed the FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace before playing 67 minutes against Bournemouth and was then not in the matchday squad for the final day win over Fulham.
However, Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic has revealed that Kovacic has been playing with pain for quite some time now and after being left out of his squad for upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Gibraltar on June 6 and the Czech Republic, he could be set for a three month absence.
“Mateo has been suffering from an injury for some time, which is why he missed the FA Cup final against Manchester City,” Dalic said in a press conference.
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“It’s a heel tendon. In agreement with the club doctors, he decided to have surgery, and he should be out for about three months.”
Kovacic is second Man City star confirmed to miss Club World Cup
Kovacic becomes the second City player to miss out on the Club World Cup. 22-year-old James McAtee will not be heading across the pond as he has been added England's Under 21s' pre-European Championship training squad and is in line to play in the Slovakia showpiece.
With his future up in the air, McAtee may well have played his final game for the club, who has recently been linked with a shock move to rivals United after reported interest from Newcastle, AC Milan and Spurs.
Topics: Manchester City, FIFA Club World Cup, Pep Guardiola
Josh Lawless