Injury expert: Sterling may have picked up ‘unusual’ injury at home after Man City update
Man City superstar Raheem Sterling may have picked up his recent back injury in his own home.
So says injury expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in medicine and data analysis.
Sterling missed City’s 4-1 win away to Brighton on 23 October with what was later revealed to be a back injury.
As quoted by Manchester Evening News that day, Pep Guardiola revealed: “He wakes up yesterday and couldn’t train because of problems in his back.”
The attacker, who recently claimed he is open to quitting City in search of more regular game-time, returned to face West Ham on 27 October.
His return was not a happy one, however, as the holders crashed out of the League Cup on penalties.
Dinnery claims that a domestic mishap or underlying issue from training could have caused the 26-year-old’s absence.
“Injuries can evolve away from the football itself,” he told Football Insider correspondent Adam Williams.
“A player might walk off the pitch either in a competitive environment or in training and something might manifest itself in the next 24 hours.
“The adrenaline is often pumping and they won’t notice. We don’t know the specific nature of this injury so it’s difficult to say.
“Alternatively, it’s unusual but not impossible for players to pick up slight strains at home.
“He isn’t getting as much game time as he has done in the past. Maybe there’s a part of Sterling thinking he needs to push hard in training to impress Pep.
“He wants to prove that he’s an asset to this City team. If you’re not quite at it, it’s not unusual that you can pick up niggles like these.”
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