Manchester City have confirmed Ilkay Gundogan has escaped another serious injury but will miss this weekend’s match against Crystal Palace with a knee sprain.
Gundogan limped off towards the end of City’s 2-1 win over West Brom in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night after making his first competitive start in more than nine months.
The Germany international suffered a serious knee injury at the end of last year and there were fears the City ace would face another spell out on the sidelines following a heavy tackle from West Brom midfielder Claudio Yacob.
However, test results have revealed Gundogan has only suffered a knee sprain and City expect him back in training in a couple of days.
“Manchester City can confirm Ilkay Gundogan suffered a knee sprain in the 2-1 win over West Brom on Wednesday,” a statement read on the club’s official website.
“The German midfielder underwent tests this morning after being taken off during the Carabao Cup victory at the Hawthorns and the club’s medical staff found no significant damage.
“The affected knee is different to the one which kept Ilkay out for nine months after his last setback suffered against Watford in December.
“It is too early at this stage to give an exact time frame on his absence but he is expected to be back on the training field in the coming days.”
Gundogan has been plagued by knee injuries throughout his career and that has stifled his involvement over the years. In fact, the German has only made 11 Premier League appearances since joining City in the summer of 2016, but he has managed to play a direct hand in four goals from midfield in that time.
