Man City Lose Rayan Ait-Nouri to Injury as Rodri, Foden Return vs Tottenham

Manchester City suffered a significant setback when new signing Rayan Ait-Nouri was forced off early in the Premier League match against Tottenham due to an ankle injury, leading to his replacement by Nathan Ake. This injury is a blow to City, especially as Ait-Nouri had just joined from Wolves for around £31-33.7 million and was seen as a key signing for the left-back position. However, Pep Guardiola received a boost with the return of key midfielders Rodri and Phil Foden for the home game against Tottenham, after both missed the opening match due to fitness and injury issues. Rodri has been recovering from an ACL injury and a groin injury sustained during the Club World Cup, while Foden had been sidelined with an ankle knock before the season started. Despite these returns, City still face absences, including Mateo Kovacic, Josko Gvardiol, Savinho, and Marcus Bettinelli, leaving squad depth a challenge ahead of this important fixture. Guardiola expressed optimism about the returning players but emphasized the need for consistency and improvement.