Manchester City's injury woes continue as star midfielder ruled out of Stoke clash

Yaya Toure has been ruled out of Man City's trip to Stoke

YAYA TOURE is out of Manchester City’s title push at Stoke tomorrow as Manuel Pellegrini’s injury problems continue to bite.

 

The inspirational midfielder has a leg muscle pull which sidelines him at the Britannia while talismanic striker Sergio Aguero is also a doubt with a heel problem.

Pablo Zabaleta, Vincent Kompany and Samir Nasri also remain on the injured list while defender Eliaquim Mangala is suspended adding to Pellegrini’s headaches ahead of the lunchtime clash.

“We’ll see,” said Pellegrini of Aguero who was injured in last weekend’s win over Southampton. “Sergio is recovering from his heel - he had pain so it is not easy for him to work, that’s why he delays a little bit more.

 

"I don’t think that he will be fit for Tuesday, maybe for the next weekend, we’ll see. We’ll try to see if he can be fit for Tuesday.”

Aguero’s absence for Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Borussia Monchengladbach will not be too keenly felt given that the Blues have already qualified .

But, while captain Kompany remains out with a calf complaint, at least Pellegrini now has a fully fit David Silva to call upon.

 

“I’m very pleased because he’s a very important player,” said the City manager. “I always say that this team we don’t depend on one or two players. 

“We have an average of six players injured each game this season and without so important players we are at the top of the table and we qualify in both cup competition. But of course this team play better in the style I like to play with Silva in the starting XI.

“Yes, of course he changes our style of play because everyone tries to link with him -  he makes all the tempo of the game, he has the most accurate pass in his last third.”

 

Meanwhile, Pellegrini has described the challenge facing Gary Neville after his shock appointment as manager of Valencia, a club he knows well from his own time in Spain.

Pellegrini said: “It is a good challenge because Valencia is a very big club, an important club, and the fans are very demanding in every game. 

“It is a good opportunity for Neville to demonstrate what he can do as a manager.

“I think he works so many years in TV he knows La Liga. There are two very strong teams that are very difficult to beat them, after that you have three of four teams always fighting to play in the Champions League. Valencia is in those teams.”