• Gündogan damaged right knee in City’s win over Watford • Guardiola disputes claims Claudio Bravo wants to leave club

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Ilkay Gündogan is set to miss the rest of the season after tearing the cruciate ligaments in his right knee during Wednesday night’s 2-0 win over Watford at the Etihad Stadium.

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The midfielder left the game on 44 minutes in tears, in a sign he comprehended the seriousness of the problem. He requires surgery.

Following his £20m summer move from Borussia Dortmund Gündogan’s debut for City was delayed until mid-September because of the dislocation he suffered to the same knee.

That occurred before the start of Euro 2016 and the 26-year-old also missed nearly all of the 2013-14 season because of a back injury, featuring in only three matches.

Gündogan’s injury may prompt Pep Guardiola to bolster his midfield options in January’s transfer window.

Meanwhile, Guardiola has insisted Claudio Bravo is happy at Manchester City following claims in Spain the goalkeeper wants a return to Barcelona.

The Chilean has performed unevenly since joining from the Catalan club in the summer transfer window. His mistake against Manchester United in September’s derby win led to a Zlatan Ibrahimovic goal and he was sent off against Barça after handling outside the area.

This week, the Spanish newspaper Don Balon claimed Bravo wants a return to the Camp Nou. When this was put to Guardiola on Friday he said: “I didn’t read that. I spoke with Bravo in the last days, his wife as well. I saw them him here, with his little daughter, who is one-year-old, but I couldn’t speak with her. He told me he’s so happy.

“You can ask for the info from the journalist who wrote that. They came here for passport issues.”