Guardiola: "I’m so grateful to the club for bringing Khusanov"

Manchester City's defensive ranks continue to suffer setbacks, but the club has bolstered its options with the recent signing of Khusanov.

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Following Manchester City's 3-1 victory over Plymouth in the FA Cup Round of 16, head coach Pep Guardiola confirmed that another central defender, Nathan Aké, has been ruled out due to injury.

"Unfortunately, we've lost another central defender for an extended period. I think we are going to miss Nathan," Guardiola said.

"I’m so grateful to the club for bringing in Vitor and Khusanov; otherwise, we would have no chance of qualifying for the Champions League next season or competing for the FA Cup — we would have just Ruben," he added, as reported by the Manchester Evening News.

Earlier, Manchester City had already lost two central defenders — John Stones and Manuel Akanji — both of whom suffered significant injuries over the past two weeks.