Nathan Ake faces an extended period on the sidelines

Earlier this week the news broke that Nathan Ake had surgery on a foot injury that has bothered the Dutch international all season long. Ake was substituted at halftime of Manchester City’s 3-1 win over Plymouth Argyle last Saturday. Following the FA Cup fifth-round tie at the Etihad Stadium Ake had surgery to rectify an issue in his foot. Now the dependable centre-back is set for an extended period on the sidelines. Pep Guardiola confirmed Ake’s absence during his pre-game press conference ahead of City’s crucial Premier League fixture against Nottingham Forest.

Pep Guardiola was asked how long Nathan Ake would be sidelined for earlier today. The City manager explained that Ake would be out for 10-11 weeks. When asked about Ake’s situation, he explained: “Ten weeks or 11 weeks, they said to me. When it is surgery, it is pretty serious. When you have surgery it is because something wrong happened. Important is it is done. He has struggled. It happened.”

Nathan Ake joins Manuel Akanji and John Stones on the sidelines for Manchester City. All three centre-backs are now out for a prolonged period. In the case of Ake and Akanji, they do deserve credit for playing through the pain barrier. Manchester City’s injury issues, especially in defence, did force them to play injured. In the end, it caught up to the pair. They have both had surgery which has now ended their 24/25 seasons.

The hope is that having surgery can put an end to the injury issues Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji have dealt with this season. Although they will both be sidelined for an extended period having surgery is the best move for both players.