Jannik Vestergaard has been absent with an injury, manager Steve Cooper has said, after the centre-back’s omission from the squad at Walsall.
Vestergaard has not been seen for City since his appearance on the bench for the 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa before the international break. With heavy rotation to the line-up for the Carabao Cup third round, Vestergaard was expected to return, but again didn’t feature, with centre-back Caleb Okoli the only player to keep his spot in the 11.
After the game, Cooper said that Vestergaard had been out with an ankle problem for a while. It had not been previously mentioned in injury round-ups and can only have occurred in the past fortnight, with the 32-year-old playing 90 minutes twice for Denmark over the international break.
“Jannik’s injured,” Cooper said on Wednesday night, after Danny Ward’s three saves in a penalty shoot-out spared City’s blushes. “Jannik’s been injured a little while. He’s done his ankle. He might be back on the grass later this week.”
In the final game before the international break, Vestergaard appeared to have lost his spot in the 11, with Okoli coming in to partner Wout Faes. That has been Cooper’s preferred pairing in the Premier League over the past couple of games too, with Conor Coady on the bench.
Vestergaard’s excellent passing ability from deep established him as a key player under Enzo Maresca last season, and he played 42 of City’s 46 Championship matches, only missing out when he was either suspended or injured. In the summer, with his previous contract expiring, he signed a new three-year deal at the club.
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