Stevan Jovetic Injury Raises Questions over Man City Summer Transfer Decisions

The last thing Manuel Pellegrini wanted after sanctioning the exit of Alvaro Negredo on deadline day without a replacement lined up was an injury to a forward. But according to David Lynch at the Manchester Evening News, Stevan Jovetic has limped out of training whilst on international duty and could be a doubt for City’s game against Arsenal at the weekend.

It would be a blow to Jovetic having played a part in all of City’s opening games this season after an injury-affected first season at the club. A combination of calf and hamstring injuries ruined last season for the Montenegrin, and it seemed like his fitness worries were finally behind him after an excellent preseason which saw him become a central part of Pellegrini’s first XI.

His fearlessness in possession has been refreshing; his desire to get on the ball and make something happen bringing a new urgency to City’s attack. He’s an exciting player and one Pellegrini clearly has faith in.

The problem for the City boss—if this latest injury scare sees the 24-year-old out of action—is it will bring the decision to allow Negredo to leave into sharper focus.

Pellegrini sanctioned Negredo's loan move to Valencia on deadline day, with some fans questioning the wisdom of the decision to allow a 23-goal striker to leave without identifying a replacement. Indeed, the Chilean himself had spoken recently about the need to have four strikers in his squad vying for a first-team place, name-checking Negredo in the process.

After City's 3-1 win over Liverpool two weeks ago, Pellegrini told reporters:

"

We need four strikers. At this moment Stevan is doing very well but you cannot forget Negredo is injured.

Edin Dzeko and Jovetic and [Sergio] Aguero are working well. It is important that they continue playing the way they did.

"

Jamie McDonald/Getty Images

Pellegrini’s reasoning for allowing Negredo to leave is likely to have centred around the flexibility of his attacking midfielders, most notably Yaya Toure and David Silva, both of whom can operate in the No. 10 role.

He probably feels he has enough fluidity going forward to get by without Negredo, especially with Fernando’s arrival adding depth to the centre of midfield and allowing Toure the opportunity to push higher up the pitch, which is arguably where he does the most damage.

Fernando and Fernandinho are capable of forming a potent midfield partnership, allowing Toure to advance to a position just off the striker. The Ivorian managed over 20 goals in all competitions last season and appears to revel in greater freedom to attack.

Silva, too, is better suited to that position, having produced a string of world-class performances in that role towards the end of last season. With Jesus Navas and James Milner capable of playing in wide positions, the Spaniard may well find himself there again this season now that Pellegrini's pool of strikers has been reduced.

However, it’s still a risky strategy, especially given the recent injury records of Jovetic and Aguero. City have ultimately lost a striker who scored 23 goals last season and, up until January, at times looked unplayable.

Michael Regan/Getty Images

City would very likely have gone for Radamel Falcao—Txiki Begiristain is an admirer—but, as Ian Herbert points out in his Sporting Life column, the Colombian's wage demands were not in line with City's spending strategy given their UEFA-imposed FFP restrictions.

There's little doubt City have the quality to get by without Negredo should Pellegrini's other forwards largely remain fit. However, Jovetic's injury scare suggests the likelihood of that happening is somewhat remote.

All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise stated

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. Follow him on Twitter here: @RobPollard_