Man City were dealt a huge blow on Wednesday night when defender Nathan Ake limped off against Bayern Munich. The 28-year-old picked up what appeared to be a hamstring problem during the 1-1 draw against Bayern in the UEFA Champions League.
Playing on the left hand side of the backline, Ake was replaced by Aymeric Laporte in the second half and now faces an anxious wait to see if he will be fit for the huge Premier League title clash against Arsenal next Wednesday. The Gunners are currently four points clear of City, although Mikel Arteta's side have played one game more than their title rivals.
Ake has been a mainstay in Pep Guardiola's team this season and has hardly put a foot wrong all campaign. According to injury expert Dr Rajpal Brar, Ake's return will depend on the severity and location of the injury, with recovery periods anything from one to 10 weeks.
READ MORE: Nathan Ake injury timeline revealed as Man City star major doubt for Arsenal title clash
Of course, further tests will need to be carried out to confirm just how long Ake will be sidelined for, something which the Dutchman said himself following the match. Speaking to Sky Sports, the defender said: "I've had it before and it feels a little bit less to be honest, but you never know with these things, so we will do the ultrasounds and stuff tomorrow and then hopefully it's not too bad."
With Arsenal travelling to the Etihad Stadium to play City in less than a week, it is unclear if Ake will be fit for the clash. If he is ruled out, Guardiola already has a stand-out option to replace the defender.
Laporte, who replaced Ake on Wednesday night, is the most obvious option for the former Barcelona head coach. If Guardiola decides to opt for someone else, he also has Rico Lewis and Sergio Gomez, who have both played on the left side of City's defence this season.
Ake will most likely find out the severity of the injury over the next couple of days. Mikel Arteta and the rest of the Arsenal squad will undoubtedly be among those keeping tabs on the situation.
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