Matija Nastasic has picked up an ankle injury in Manchester City's Asia Trophy final win over Sunderland.
The defender, 20, suffered the blow in the final of the pre-season tournament played on a sodden pitch -
criticised by some of the teams
- in Hong Kong.
City manager Manuel Pellegrini says the club plan to
assess the injury when they return to the UK, but refused to blame the
poor playing surface.
"It is part of the game and could have happened on any pitch," he said.
"We are concerned but it is
better to wait. He received a kick to his ankle and the doctor is seeing
what it could be, but it is impossible for him to know.
"The doctor needs to see him when we arrive in Manchester and then we can know what has happened."
Serbia international Nastasic, who played 76 minutes of
the 1-0 win, became the second Premier League defender to fall victim
in the treacherous conditions after days of heavy rain at the Hong Kong
Stadium.
Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen faces a race to be fit for the start of the season in three weeks
after injuring his ankle in a 3-1 defeat by Sunderland
at the same venue on Wednesday.
Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio had previously described the surface at Hong Kong Stadium as "a killer pitch".
Manchester United, who are scheduled to face Kitchee FC
in the stadium on Monday, have cancelled plans to hold an open training
session at the stadium on Sunday.
Earlier, Spurs cruised to a 6-0 win in a third-fourth play-off over South China thanks to a Jermain Defoe hat-trick.
إرسال تعليق