Man City manager Pep Guardiola has allayed fears that Jack Grealish's shin injury is as serious as the one that kept him sidelined for almost three months of last season.
Grealish has missed City's last two matches - consecutive thrashings of Norwich and Sporting CP - and Guardiola has confirmed that Saturday's clash with Tottenham will come too soon for him too.
Before his £100m move from Aston Villa to City, the England international missed a significant chunk of last season with a similar problem with his shinbone. He was absent for several weeks of action between February and May, and a return date was never truly set in stone by then-manager Dean Smith.
However, speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of facing Spurs at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League, Guardiola moved to quash any fears that the injury could be a recurrence of last year's.
“I am not a doctor, I am sorry," he said. "The shin, the symptoms seem much less than last season in Birmingham.
“I didn't talk with the doctor but we will see. I don't think he will be ready for tomorrow but hopefully for the next weeks.”
Grealish has previously discussed the nature of the problem, saying last year: "It's not shin splints actually, it's different to that. It's a bit of stress on my shin, a different type of injury.
"I'm not concerned, I'm aware of it a bit so I have to keep on top of it and do whatever I can to heal it after I play in these games, that's why I had the ice on."
The 26-year-old has struggled to make an impact since his big-money move to City, scoring and assisting three times each and failing to nail down a starting place.
Source : 90min