City start their 2020/21 Premier League campaign on September 21 against Wolves at Molineux
Monday 7 September 2020 15:06, UK
Manchester City players Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte have tested positive for coronavirus.
Both players are currently observing a period of self-isolation in accordance with Premier League and UK government protocol. Neither is displaying symptoms of the virus.
City added in a statement: "Everyone at the club wishes Riyad and Aymeric a speedy recovery ahead of their return to training and the new season."
Mahrez tweeted in response to messages of support from City fans: "Thank you for all the nice messages, I'm good. Stay safe everyone take care of you."
Laporte added: "Thanks everyone for your messages, everything is going as well as possible, I am following the protocol for the next few days and I will be back soon, take care of yourself."
City's first game of the new season is away at Wolves, live on Monday Night Football, on September 21.
City will skip the opening weekend of the Premier League season after being permitted to sit out the first weekend because of their late finish to the 2019/20 season due to their Champions League exertions.
City will instead feature just twice in the Premier League in September - the trip to Wolves followed by their first home match of the season against Leicester.
Sky Sports News reporter Ben Ransom says:
"Aymeric Laporte is currently self-isolating for 10 days, which means he will only have a couple of days training before Man City's first Premier League game of the season against Wolves.
"Given how important he is to their defence it seems unlikely that Pep Guardiola would throw him straight in, especially when you consider how protective he was over Laporte's fitness when reintegrating him into the first team following last year's knee injury. That leaves a potentially big hole to fill in 14 days time.
"New arrival Nathan Ake is the obvious candidate to step in. Signed for £41m from Bournemouth earlier this summer, the left-sided central defender is a like-for-like replacement for Laporte, and offers natural balance in that position. Ake is currently away on international duty with the Netherlands so match fitness should not be an issue, even if it is a big ask for him to have learnt City's tactical shape in just a couple of weeks of full training sessions.
"City remain in the market for a right-sided central defender, with Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly the top name among a list of targets. He has the proven experience to fit straight into the back four, and it's no secret Guardiola wants someone to finally fill the void left by the departure of club captain Vincent Kompany more than a year ago.
"But even if that deal were to be completed before the start of the new campaign, it would be a huge risk to pair two completely new arrivals together at Molineux.
"So that leaves Guardiola with the same headache he had for much of last season. Fernandinho was used as the increasingly-reliable stand-in, with the defensive midfielder preferred to specialist central defenders Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones.
"The Brazilian's leadership and communication skills proved invaluable in the absence of Laporte and it would be no surprise to see him given that role against Wolves. Eric Garcia has told Man City that he wants to leave amid interest from Barcelona, so Guardiola will already be planning for life without him.
"However you look at it, Guardiola has plenty to ponder as he prepares once again for the possibility of being without his key defensive asset."
