Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson will miss the team’s next two games after suffering a fracture to his eye socket during Tuesday’s win over Tottenham Hotspur.
The Brazilian picked up a nasty injury between the sticks after colliding with Cristian Romero. He went down immediately as medical staff rushed onto the pitch to assess him.
Romero’s attempt to win a loose ball caused his hip to collide with Ederson’s head at the far post. The keeper played on for a short spell before Pep Guardiola made the decision to substitute Stefan Ortega in his place. Ederson was visibly frustrated with the decision.
Now, the club have confirmed the injury to be a fractured eye socket, meaning he will be unavailable for two key fixtures.
The title defenders will be without their first choice keeper during their crucial final match of the Premier League season against West Ham United and their FA Cup final clash with rivals Manchester United.
Sitting two points ahead of Arsenal in the league, City can win their fourth successive title with victory over West Ham on Sunday. They will now rely on the efforts of German shot-stopper Ortega to finalise their campaign.
Ortega will also feature in City’s derby clash with United in the FA Cup final. He has played in every round of the FA Cup and Carabao Cup over the last two seasons and was predicted to play at Wembley on Saturday 25 May even if Ederson was fit.
The late injury news comes as an unfortunate blow for City, who are just days away from lifting the trophy. They aren’t without strength in depth, however, as Ortega has proved to be an excellent reserve option and made a crucial save in midweek to deny Son Heung-min a goal which could have swung the title race in Arsenal’s favour.
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