Manchester City could face Leeds United in their first Premier League game after the World Cup without their first-choice goalkeeper Illan Meslier, after head coach Jesse Marsch revealed that the shot-stopper has glandular fever.
Just ten days after the World Cup final, City take on Leeds at Elland Road as the Blues return to Premier League action on December 28. There is of course the small matter of a Carabao Cup clash against Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium before then, with the cup fixture taking place against Jurgen Klopp's side just five days after the tournament's conclusion in Qatar.
Pep Guardiola will be hoping for his squad to return without injury, as the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Manuel Akanji have already done - following Belgium, Germany and Switzerland's respective early departures from the competition.
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As the tournament enters the quarter-final stages, Nathan Ake, Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker, Phil Foden, Kalvin Phillips, Julian Alvarez, Ederson, Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva are the remaining City stars that are still away with their teams in the Middle East.
After City announced a friendly match between themselves and Girona on December 17, Guardiola will be looking to use the game as an opportunity to see which of his stars are fit and ready to go for their Premier League clash against Leeds.
The Blues beat Marsch's side 4-0 at Elland Road last season, and the hosts could be in for a tough game once again, as they face a nervous wait to see if their first-team shot-stopper Meslier will be available for selection.
Speaking to the media, Marsch said: “Illan [Meslier], you guys call it glandular fever, we call it mono,” said Marsch. “We're trying to be safe with him, but also measure him appropriately and see. It'll be close when we can get him back into training days to a week before Man City."
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