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Ilkay Gundogan's injury will allow this Man City star to return to Champions League squad
MANCHESTER CITY manager Pep Guardiola will throw Yaya Toure a Champions League lifeline with Ilkay Gundogan set to miss the rest of the season.
Five things you need to know about Ilkay Gundogan
Pep Guardiola was restricted to 17 overseas players for the group stage of the competition and decided to omit the then out-of-favour Toure out of his squad.
Toure is certain to replace Gundogan, who is believed to have ruptured ligaments in his right knee during City’s 2-0 win over Watford on Wednesday night.
The German midfielder underwent a scan yesterday and the initial prognosis does not look good, although he will undergo further tests to determine the exact timescale.
Ilkay Gundogan is likely to miss the rest of the season
Ilkay Gundogan ruptured ligaments in his right knee in the 2-0 win over Watford yesterday
With Gundogan, who joined for £20m from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, facing surgery Guardiola will replace him in his European squad with Toure.
Guardiola and Toure had a strained relationship earlier in the season but the pair have since patched up their differences.
Clubs are permitted to make up to three changes to their squads before the last-16 knockout phase of the competition when Manchester City face Monaco in February.
Yaya Toure was omitted from the Champions League squad for the group stages
City team-mate Pablo Zabaleta has urged team-mate Gundogan to “stay strong” during his injury nightmare.
“Unfortunately it is the same knee but you have to keep strong,” he said. “We feel so sorry for him. He has been working so hard and he was playing well.”
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