Pep Guardiola hinted that Nathan Ake would be out for a 'long time' in the immediate aftermath of Manchester City's win over Plymouth but he won't have been expected to potentially lose him for the season.
In the two days after Ake hobbled off at half-time against Plymouth, the Dutchman has confirmed he has undergone surgery on a problematic foot. While he hasn't put any timeframe on a return, he wrote on Instagram: "This has been such a frustrating season for me. But I have now had a successful surgery on a fracture in my foot which has been bothering me for months and I am looking positively to the future!
"Rest and recover now, see you soon Cityzens and thank you for your support."
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Ake joins Manu Akanji in recovery from surgery, and John Stones on the sidelines. Guardiola put both players on an 'eight to ten week' lay-off that would put their possible returns at the start of May. Their top four and FA Cup hopes could both be over by then, as much as City are confident of positive outcomes in league and cup.
So having celebrated the fact that he finally had his four central defensive options available for the first time against Real Madrid last month, Guardiola is suddenly down to one senior centre-back in Ruben Dias (who has hardly stayed injury free this term).
"Hopefully, the young ones – they don’t have a lot of scars in their lives – can sustain and help us until the end," said Guardiola when asked about the severity of Ake's injury before it was confirmed he needed surgery.
"I'm so grateful and thankful to the club to bring [Abdukodir] Khusanov and Vitor [Reis] otherwise we have no chance to qualify for the Champions League next season or fight for the FA Cup. Impossible! We would just have Ruben. It's a miracle they are here to help us. It happens all season for the problems we have.”
Guardiola and Sporting Director Txiki Begiristain may not have planned to throw Khusanov - and to a lesser extent Reis - in so much so early, but they will now be expected to play a key role in helping City finish in the top four and win the FA Cup.
Khusanov has earned rave reviews from his manager and fans for his early performances against top class opponents, while Reis looked composed in the Plymouth win and may have to feature more.
Rico Lewis and Matheus Nunes will have to share right-back responsibility with Khusanov needed centrally, while Josko Gvardiol may have to cover Dias on occasion despite that leaving Lewis or Nico O'Reilly as left-back options.
But if Ake has been struggling all season, and City are out of both Premier League and Champions League contention, maybe surgery was the right call rather than in the summer. Planning for next season can begin now with Khusanov and Reis, with the more experienced players returning in a summer where there will be no proper pre-season due to the Club World Cup.
With Guardiola raising question marks over the long-term future of players who cannot stay fit, perhaps the combination of Ake-Akanji-Stones and Dias have played together for the last time.
Ake and Stones are 30 while Akanji will be 30 in the summer. Stones is out of contract in 2026, with Ake and Akanji and Dias (27) on deals until 2027. If City deem their injury records not good enough, this summer may be the time to part ways.
This is Ake's 11th different injury absence for City since 2020. Stones has had 10 in that time and 17 overall during his time at the club.
So Guardiola will turn his attention to the 'miracle' additions of Khusanov and Reis and look to salvage what he can from an increasingly-frustrating campaign. With European qualification and two trophies to fight for, City certainly have not given up on this campaign just yet. They've just accelerated their plans for next season once again.
