Doku ruled out two to three weeks with calf injury suffered in Community Shield

Jeremy Doku will miss the start of Manchester City’s Premier League season after scans confirmed a calf injury sustained during the Community Shield against Arsenal in Cardiff, manager Enzo Maresca revealed in a pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s home fixture with Bournemouth.

The 24-year-old Belgian winger had only returned to the club last week following an extended break granted after Belgium reached the World Cup quarter-final. He was thrown straight into the starting XI for the Community Shield but was always intended to play just 45 minutes before being substituted at half-time. It was during that opening period that Doku first felt discomfort in his calf.

“Unfortunately in the last game at half-time he was complaining about pain in his calf. The idea with him anyway was to play 45 minutes so the change was planned, but at the moment it looks like two or three weeks,” Maresca told reporters.

Doku will definitely sit out the Bournemouth match and is also doubtful for subsequent fixtures against Crystal Palace and Coventry. The injury represents a significant early-season blow for City, with the winger having been one of their standout performers throughout the previous campaign.

There was better news elsewhere in Maresca’s injury update. Matheus Nunes has recovered from the problem he picked up in the warm-up at Cardiff, which had prevented him from featuring at all in the Community Shield. Nunes had been expected to start on the bench but was withdrawn before kick-off as a precaution.

City open their Premier League home campaign against Bournemouth — the side who held them to a draw in the final week of the 2025/26 season, a result that handed Arsenal the title. It is the first time City have opened a Premier League season at home since 2016, when Pep Guardiola had just taken charge at the Etihad.