The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
City left reeling by new Laporte blow
Madrid injury sees defender miss final
Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte could be out of action for up to a month with a hamstring injury, manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed.
Laporte was forced off in the first half of Wednesday’s Champions League victory at Real Madrid.
It was just his eighth appearance of an injury-ravaged season.
Guardiola said: “He has a hamstring injury, so that is normally three weeks or one month, more or less.
“We tried to avoid it but unfortunately it has happened after four or five months out and then going directly into a big game. It sometimes happens.”
Laporte suffered a hamstring injury in August and then suffered a setback on his return in January, keeping him out for a further month.
The clash at the Bernabeu was just the third game of his latest comeback.
The Frenchman has been sorely missed throughout a season in which City have failed to mount a strong defence of their Premier League title.
The latest setback could hamper their quest for silverware on other fronts. He will miss tomorrow’s Carabao Cup final against Aston Villa and is unlikely to be back for the second leg against Real in three weeks.
He will also miss an FA Cup tie at Sheffield Wednesday and a derby against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Guardiola said: “It is tough but they have to overcome these situations. Life is not easy and always in the world the people who survive overcome the bad moments.
“The guys who don’t play are guys who say they can’t face it, ‘the world is against me’. Injuries are the same.
“If you think, ‘I am an unlucky guy’, you will not improve. It is what it is. Accept it and work harder to come back in the best condition as possible.”
Meanwhile Villa boss Dean Smith has admitted he may not be able to hold on to captain Jack Grealish this summer.
The 24-year-old has shone on Villa’s return to the Premier League this season, and has contributed nine goals and six assists in all competitions.
That has led to speculation he may gain an England call and has also seen him linked with a big-money move to Manchester United.
Smith recognises that victory over City at Wembley – and with it a place in Europe next season – is unlikely to sway Grealish if his head is turned, and instead believes his future rests on whether Villa, who have announced a loss of almost £69 million for the last financial year, stay in the Premier League.
Asked whether victory over City would make it easier to keep Grealish in the summer, Smith replied: “I don’t know. That’s a question we’ll have to answer in the summer.
Scotland midfielder John McGinn has failed in his bid to make the squad. The former Hibs star fractured his ankle just before Christmas and had hoped to be available for the game but will be forced to watch from the sidelines.