Manchester City midfielder Nico González suffers injury during FA Cup debut

Read Time:1 Minute, 51 Second

Nico González suffered an injury on his Manchester City debut during this afternoon’s FA Cup fourth-round game against Leyton Orient, the Club can confirm. In the 16th minute of the game, the midfielder was caught from behind by Leyton Orient’s Sonny Perkins and fell backwards awkwardly onto his back. The player attempted to continue, but was unable to, and he was replaced in the 22nd minute by Bernardo Silva.

The injury occurred at the most critical period of the game. In the aftermath of the challenge, Leyton Orient’s Jamie Donley took hold of the ball and pulled off a stunning long-range effort from around 45 yards. The ball hit the crossbar and came off the goalkeeper Stefan Ortega for an own goal to give Leyton Orient an early lead.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola reacted with his thoughts on the severity of the challenge and its aftermath. “Welcome to the Premier League and the referees,” said Guardiola. “Maybe he knew about the referees because I understand it’s not easy, not easy to do something when you play against teams like in League One.” He added, “I think he understood perfectly what England is. It’s a pity because I don’t know how hard the kick is, but he could not continue.”

González, who was signed this summer from FC Porto for a fee of £49 million, was playing in his first game for Manchester City. His departure is all the more worrying for the team going into the first leg of Champions League play-offs against Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium. The club’s medical staff are currently evaluating the extent of injury to González and further details will be shared as more becomes known.

Manchester City fought back despite that setback, and the equalizer came in the 56th minute with a deflected shot by Rico Lewis as Kevin De Bruyne sealed the win with a decisive goal in the 79th minute, giving his team a 2-1 win over Leyton Orient.

The club will continue to closely monitor his condition and update on González’s availability for future fixtures. Manchester City wishes Nico the best in his recovery, speedy and complete.