Pep Guardiola has delivered the latest news on Rico Lewis and Mateo Kovacic, as the pair continue their routes to recovery.
Manchester City have been without Rico Lewis since last month due to an ankle injury. The right-back last played for his team during a 2-0 FA Cup victory over Salford City.
Mateo Kovacic is another player suffering from the same problem, but his concern is far more serious. Indeed, the Croatian international has missed a large part of this season and he has played a grand total of four minutes in the Premier League.
However, there appears to be an ever growing light at the end of the tunnel, with both players moving closer to match fitness.
While no exact timeline on their returns has been given, Pep Guardiola has provided an update of when he expects Lewis and Kovacic to be back.
Pep Guardiola provides injury update on Rico Lewis and Mateo Kovacic
According to Guardiola, Lewis is not yet ready to play again for Man City, with the defender still requiring more time until he has fully healed.
Kovacic’s situation is looking more promising, but there has been no indication that he will be making any immediate return.
Pep 💬 Rico [Lewis] still has a sore ankle. Mateo [Kovacic] is training much better every day. pic.twitter.com/4HWtEn6aTv
— Manchester City (@ManCity) March 13, 2026
Guardiola said: “Rico [Lewis] still has a sore ankle. Mateo [Kovacic] is training much better every day.”
Man City will be too concerned by Lewis’ injury
As brutal as it sounds, Lewis is not currently viewed as an important player at Manchester City. The 21-year-old has potential, but he was being benched for most league matches even when he was fit.
Kovacic on the other hand is more likely to feature when he is able and Guardiola will be very pleased when the midfielder is finally ready to play competitive football again.
Man City’s fixtures have been coming thick and fast, so as many players as possible are needed in order to avoid those having to play every week burning out.
This is especially true of players like Kovacic, who might actually be a contender to be selected in his manager’s starting lineups.
