Claudio Bravo’s injury has left Manchester City frantically scrambling for an out-of-contract goalkeeper to provide back up to Ederson.
The setback to City’s deputy goalkeeper means Brazilian first-team choice Ederson has quickly emerged as the Sky Blues’ most crucial player this season. He must remain fit.
Aside from the fact City desperately need to maintain Ederson throughout the campaign – in all competitions it now seems – the Brazilian has exhibited his significance through his mesmerising performances between the sticks since his switch from Benfica.
Pep Guardiola’s style requires a goalkeeper who is comfortable on the ball. Ederson has gone one step further, proving one of City’s most accurate passers. He assisted Sergio Aguero for the Sky Blues’ opener against Huddersfield, with an exquisite goal kick which very few stoppers would have been able to produce.
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Alongside his acrobatic shot-stopping abilities, Ederson has qualities central to Manchester City’s surface-changing strategy. The Sky Blues almost always play out from the back, unless Ederson picks out a striker with a precise ball over the top, and the Brazilian’s ball-playing abilities nearly correspond to those of an outfield player.
The worry for Pep Guardiola is the amount of football Manchester City are going to have in their calendar when September gets underway. The Champions League always proves an arduous test, even from the group stages, and with domestic cups also on the horizon it would be challenging for Ederson to play in two matches a week almost every week.
City must obtain a substitute goalkeeper. Whether that means promoting a youth goalkeeper for the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, or pushing for a loan deal until the window slams shut, it would be unfair to expect the Brazilian to play in all of City’s competitive fixtures.
That is the situation at the moment, and Claudio Bravo’s injury has propelled panic at the worst time.
Will City be able to secure a loan signing before the end of the window?