Man City 'handed huge Savinho injury boost' as attacker's recovery timeline revealed

The 20-year-old set up Matheus Nunes's consolation goal in North London before suffering a worrying blow to his ankle, which forced him off on a stretcher just past the hour mark.

Pep Guardiola was none the wiser about the seriousness of Savinho's problem in the wake of the defeat, although he did express hope that the Brazilian attacker would not be sidelined for long.

"We'll see tomorrow what happened. We have to see if it is just a knock or something else because it was on the bone. Hopefully, it's nothing dangerous, but we'll see [on Thursday]," Guardiola told the media.

The Man City manager's prayers appear to have been answered, as PL Brasil reports that Savinho has only suffered a minor sprain to his right ankle, and he is therefore expected to spend a maximum of two weeks on the sidelines.

Which games will Savinho miss with ankle injury?

There is even hope that the former Troyes and Girona attacker could be back in action within seven days, although he will definitely miss Saturday's Premier League trip to Bournemouth and most likely the Champions League clash with Sporting Lisbon on November 5.

Should Savinho make a rapid recovery over the next week, City's Premier League clash with Brighton & Hove Albion on November 9 is not an unrealistic comeback date, and he will certainly be fit to face Spurs on November 23 barring any new setbacks.

Thanks to his rise to prominence at the Etihad, Savinho has now become a key part of the Brazil team and would be expected to earn a call-up for November's World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Uruguay on the 14th and 20th respectively.

The report adds that the 20-year-old's problem should not prevent him from representing his country this month, a major boost for Selecao boss Dorival Junior, who witnessed Savinho set up goals against Chile and Peru in October.

The Man City winger has also impressed creatively on the domestic front so far this season, setting up five goals in 13 matches for Guardiola's side in all tournaments, although he is still waiting for his first goal.

What other injury concerns do Man City have?

News that Savinho has avoided a serious problem will come as a huge relief to Guardiola, who made no bones about his side's devastating injury situation after they were eliminated from the EFL Cup, claiming that he could have just 13 outfield players available against Bournemouth.

Savinho was not the only casualty of that North London affair, as Ruben Dias had to come off at half time with an unspecified issue, and his replacement - Josko Gvardiol - suffered a blow to the head in the second half.

Manuel Akanji was due to play at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before suffering a calf issue in the warm-up, while none of Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker, Jeremy Doku, Rodri or Oscar Bobb were able to contribute either.

However, City have apparently been handed a boost over Akanji's fitness before the trip to the Vitality Stadium, where they will endeavour to maintain or increase their one-point lead over Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table.