The trip to Anfield on Sunday was always going to be the first big test of Manchester City’s season. The squad travelling to Liverpool is now a defender lighter.

Nico O’Reilly, who has operated as the first-choice left-back at City this season, was pulled out of Thomas Tuchel’s England group on October 1 and sent back to his club for assessment.

“Nico O’Reilly has returned to Manchester City and will play no part in the forthcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures,” the FA announcement read.

He completed 90 minutes in England’s 3-2 defeat to Spain last weekend but was ruled out of the 2-0 win over Czechia in Prague on Tuesday with what Tuchel had described as a minor issue. Three days later he was on his way back to Manchester, and he became the sixth name withdrawn from this England squad during the current window.

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Tuchel chose not to call up a replacement, and England managed a 7-0 rout of Croatia in Rijeka on Saturday without him. The Czechia return at Wembley on Tuesday is a secondary concern for City. What matters is whether the player is on the plane to Merseyside at the weekend.

No specific diagnosis has been shared, and no recovery timeline has been given.

The 114-charges ruling in the background

The injury lands with the club already in a long week. On September 29 the Premier League confirmed its independent commission had found City guilty of 114 of the 115 financial breach charges brought in February 2023, which cover a nine-year period from 2009-10 to 2017-18.

City said they were “disappointed and surprised” by the ruling and intend to appeal. The punishment, including the possibility of a points deduction, will be decided in a separate hearing that the Premier League has said it wants to work through quickly.

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With that process running in the background, every league point counts twice. Kick-off at Anfield is at 4:30pm local time on Sunday.

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