Omar Marmoush injury a major blow for City ahead of Manchester derby

The 25-year-old was forced off early during Tuesday's World Cup qualifier against Burkina Faso, hobbling after just nine minutes of play. Although he briefly attempted to continue, he was soon replaced by Osama Faisal. The incident came only days after Marmoush had scored in Egypt's 2-0 victory over Ethiopia.

Initial assessments are set to take place once the striker returns to Cairo, with Egypt's medical staff arranging scans. Manchester City's doctors will also conduct further examinations upon his arrival back in England.

"Omar Marmoush suffers a bruised knee ligament. The player will undergo an X-ray upon his arrival to Cairo [on] Wednesday morning," said the Egyptian Football Association.

The timing of the injury could hardly be worse for City boss Pep Guardiola, who had handed Marmoush starting roles in the club's last two Premier League fixtures against Brighton and Tottenham.

With City looking to recover from consecutive defeats in those games, the Egyptian international's absence would be a significant setback.

Marmoush is now considered a serious doubt for this weekend's Manchester derby against United, a fixture City can ill afford to approach understrength.

Guardiola has already been under pressure to steady his side's league campaign, and losing a player who had recently begun to establish himself in the starting line-up is being described as a huge blow. 

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