Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is hopeful that Nico Gonzalez will be fit to feature in Tuesday's blockbuster Champions League playoff first-leg tie with Real Madrid at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.
Just under a week after completing his £50m transfer to the Citizens from Porto, Gonzalez was handed his full debut in Saturday's 2-1 FA Cup fourth-round victory over Leyton Orient.
However, the Spanish midfielder was forced off in the 22nd minute after landing awkwardly following a heavy challenge by Orient's Sonny Perkins.
Gonzalez was signed by Man City to temporarily fill the void left by Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, who is still recovering from a season-ending knee injury, and slot into a midfield that has seen the likes of Mateo Kovacic, Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan struggle to cope on the transition and deal with defensive duties.
The fact that the 23-year-old has emerged as a doubt for Tuesday's contest is a concern for Man City, but Guardiola has reassured Citizens supporters that the midfielder has not picked up a serious injury.
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Man City given Gonzalez hope, Dias, Stones in contention to start
Asked whether Gonzalez will be available to face Real Madrid, Guardiola said: "I hope so. The kick was strong in this area. We have a few days, we will see."
Fortunately for Man City, Gonzalez has not sustained a muscle injury and appears to have only picked up a knock, giving him a greater chance of recovering in time for Tuesday's fixture.
Guardiola is also hoping that defensive duo Ruben Dias and John Stones have put their injury problems behind them after enduring frustrating spells on the sidelines throughout this season.
While Stones has featured in each of City's last five matches - starting two of those - since recovering from a foot problem, Dias started and played for 45 minutes against Orient after missing three matches with a muscle issue.
"Two years ago in the year of the treble, [Stones] helped us in many different ways," Guardiola added.
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"For the last three months he hasn't played 90 minutes and the last two games he played without pain. That's really good because his presence is important.
"Ruben again is back, he played 45 minutes. We will see how many players we can recover for the next games."
Five City players doubtful ahead of Real Madrid clash
Both Stones and Dias are in contention to start on Tuesday, but Guardiola still has "doubts" over who he can select against Real Madrid.
"I know the gameplan tomorrow, I know the way I want to play," said the Catalan "I still have doubts over the selection because we still have injuries and people coming back, but I am always optimistic and calm."
Gonzalez, Ederson, Jeremy Doku, Nathan Ake and Oscar Bobb are all in the treatment room at present with minor issues and will be assessed ahead of kickoff, while new signing Vitor Reis is ineligible after being left out of City's updated Champions League squad.
Oliver Thomas
