Gvardiol cleared for Croatia duty but still managing pain from January leg fracture

Josko Gvardiol has been cleared to start for Croatia against England at Wembley after leaving Manchester City’s defeat at Nottingham Forest at half-time with an injury concern. The 24-year-old has been passed fit by medical staff and is expected to feature in the international fixture, offering him a chance to reset after a difficult run of club form.

Gvardiol’s struggles this season carry important context. He fractured his leg in City’s home draw with Chelsea in January, missing all but the final two matches of the campaign as he recovered. Speaking to the Manchester Evening News in the summer, the Croatian international revealed he is still managing daily pain from that injury and may not be fully free of it for another year.

“I thought I was going to feel perfect and it was behind me but it was not like that,” he said. “Sometimes I feel it a bit more, some days I am pain-free. In total I am told I will need at least a year for everything to heal inside. I deal with it every day, but also sometimes it is frustrating me. I think I just need to keep going — even when there is a pain I need to get over that, accept that sometimes I need to play and train with that small pain.”

Despite the physical setback, Gvardiol has contributed three assists in ten Premier League appearances this season — a tally only four players in the division have bettered. City’s system under Enzo Maresca asks full-backs to push high and create attacking overloads from a back three in possession, which explains his involvement in the final third.

At the defensive end, however, his form has dipped. He was particularly poor in the loss at Nottingham Forest, hesitating in possession and allowing the hosts to open the scoring in what City’s own supporters acknowledged was the team’s worst 45 minutes of the season. A similarly unconvincing display in the defeat to Brighton has raised questions about his decision-making, though his record since joining from RB Leipzig means he retains considerable goodwill.

The combination of a serious injury, a new manager in Maresca, and the technical demands of adapting to a different defensive structure has placed Gvardiol under pressure he has not previously faced at City. The international break may offer him the breathing space to rediscover his best form before returning to a club side that has now lost three consecutive Premier League matches.