Manchester City confirm striker Gabriel Jesus has suffered a broken metatarsal and will miss ‘two to three months’
The Brazilian striker came off injured in City's 2-0 win away at Bournemouth, and the news is not good coming out of the club
MANCHESTER CITY striker Gabriel Jesus has broken his metatarsal and will miss two to three months, the club have confirmed.
The Brazilian was forced off the pitch early doors for City during their 2-0 away win at Bournemouth.
Sergio Aguero came off the bench to replace his fellow South American striker, and got the assist for his team's second goal, an own-goal by Tyrone Mings.
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City boss Pep Guardiola was hopeful Jesus, who had a scan this morning Tuesday, had not suffered a serious injury - but the news will come as a bitter blow after the forward made such a blistering start to his career at the Etihad.
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THOSE DAMNED METATARSALS
The metatarsals are the bones that connect your ankle to your toes. There are five in total.
Injuries ranges from stress fractures, acute stress fractures, to snapped/broken metatarsals.
The first, second and fifth metatarsals are the most commonly injured in sport.
Wayne Rooney famously fractured the base of his fourth metatarsal before his miraculous recovery for the 2006 World Cup. But some would say it was never fully healed enough for him to perform to his max.
Damage and recovery time depends on the extent of damage and which of the five metatarsals is affected. A broken or acute fractures of the outer metatarsals could mean between two to three months on the sidelines.
A club statement read: "Manchester City can confirm Gabriel Jesus suffered a fractured metatarsal during the 2-0 win over Bournemouth on Monday night.
"The 19-year-old was withdrawn from action after 15 minutes of the game and assessed by the Club’s medical staff.
"He will undergo further examinations in the coming days to establish the extent of his layoff.
"Jesus has scored three goals in five appearances for City since his move from Palmeiras was rubber-stamped in January and has received widespread praise for the way he has adapted to English football.
"We wish Gabriel a speedy recovery and we will keep you updated on his progress via the Club’s official channels in the coming days."
It could put a spanner in the works for Manchester City's title challenge. Their victory at The Vitality Stadium last night brought them to within eight points of league-leaders Chelsea.
Jesus has flourished since joining the City squad in January following a £28.6million move from Palmeiras, and has went on to score three Premier League goals in his late two games – including the 92nd minute winner against Swansea City last Sunday.
Guardiola did praise the forward's replacement Sergio Aguero for his impact against Bournemouth.
Aguero, whose future has been the subject of intense speculation, forced the second-half own goal from Tyrone Mings that followed Raheem Sterling's opener.
Guardiola said of the Argentina striker: "I'm happy for him. For how he played, how he tried, and I thought he scored.
"He's an important player. He didn't play the last few games because the three guys (Jesus, Sterling and Leroy Sane) were amazing. That's why they'd played.
"Now it's the (FA) Cup, then the Champions League, and the Premier League is still there. That's why we need a contribution from Sergio. He's so important for us."