Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush has picked up a knee injury while on international duty, leaving Pep Guardiola with another concern ahead of crucial matches against Manchester United and Arsenal.
The 26-year-old was forced off in the ninth minute of Egypt’s goalless World Cup qualifier against Burkina Faso on Tuesday. He initially continued after receiving treatment following a strong challenge in the fourth minute but was eventually substituted.
The Egyptian Football Association later confirmed the news on X, stating: “Omar Marmoush suffers a bruised knee ligament.” Team doctor Mohamed Abou El-Ela added that the player will undergo scans upon his return to Cairo on Wednesday morning.
Marmoush had been in good form, scoring in Egypt’s 2-0 victory over Ethiopia just days earlier. Since joining City from Eintracht Frankfurt in January, he has featured regularly, starting the last two league games after appearing as a substitute in the season opener against Wolves. His fitness will now be closely monitored ahead of Sunday’s Manchester derby at the Etihad.
City’s schedule doesn’t ease up after facing United. They welcome Napoli in the Champions League on September 18 before travelling to London to take on Arsenal just three days later. Marmoush’s availability for these games remains uncertain.
This is the latest in a string of injury concerns for City during the international break. Abdukodir Khusanov missed action with Uzbekistan due to a calf problem, while John Stones withdrew from England duty after a muscle issue. Rico Lewis and Nico O’Reilly also pulled out of the England Under-21 squad, and Rayan Aït-Nouri skipped Algeria’s matches.
Arsenal are also dealing with injury woes of their own. Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, and William Saliba are all unavailable for the weekend clash against Nottingham Forest, although Ben White and Christian Nørgaard could make a return.
