Pep Guardiola issues important injury update on Nathan Ake following Netherlands absence

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has issued an important update on the fitness of Nathan Ake following his exclusion from the Netherlands national team this month.

The Dutchman is one of many fitness and injury struggles that have hampered Manchester City’s rearguard over recent weeks, playing a crucial role in a run of four matches without a draw or a win for the reigning Premier League champions.

The 2-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion stretched Pep Guardiola’s defensive options to its most extreme this season, with the Catalan coach turning to Kyle Walker and Rico Lewis as full-backs, with Jahmai Simpson-Pusey partnering Josko Gvardiol at the centre of defence.

Manuel Akanji’s fitness struggles led to an omission from involvement and have also resulted in a withdrawal from Switzerland’s squad list for the November international break, while Ruben Dias and John Stones have not been selected by their respective national teams.

And speaking during a recent media conference, Pep Guardiola insisted that while the versatile defender is ‘getting better’ following recent struggles on the fitness front, Nathan Ake remains ‘not fully-fit’.

“Yeah, he’s getting better,” Pep Guardiola recently told reporters.

“He’s still not fully-fit, but he’s getting better,” he continued.

Nathan Ake has once again not been selected for international duty by the Netherlands set-up this month, after an absence in October following the hamstring injury picked up in the September break for UEFA Nations League contests.

Ake’s hamstring injury picked up with the Netherlands during a 2-2 draw with Germany left the defender ruled out for around a month at Manchester City, and also resulted in an angry response from Pep Guardiola at the time.

Reacting to the injury picked up earlier in the season, Pep Guardiola admitted, “We are unlucky with Nathan (Ake) and the international team; every time he goes there, he comes back injured.”