Manchester City's Ederson to miss final two games of season due to eye socket fracture

Manchester City has officially announced that goalkeeper Ederson will be absent for the rest of the 2023/24 season due to sustaining a fracture in his right eye socket during the 2-0 victory against Tottenham on Tuesday.

The Brazilian goalkeeper sustained the injury in a collision with Spurs defender Cristian Romero in the second half at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Scans have revealed a small fracture that will rule Ederson out of City's final two games - the potentially title-deciding clash at home to West Ham United on Saturday, and the FA Cup final against Manchester United a week later.

"Ederson suffered the injury during our 2-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday evening," a statement on City's website read. "He has since undergone scans of the affected area that have revealed a small fracture to the right eye socket. The injury will prevent Ederson from playing any further part in the remaining games of the 2023/24 season. Everyone at the Club wishes Ederson a speedy recovery."

Substitute goalkeeper Stefan Ortega came on to replace the injured Ederson against Spurs and made some crucial saves, including an 86th minute one-on-one stop from Son Heung-min that preserved City's lead. His performance drew high praise from manager Pep Guardiola.

"He defined, I would say, how the team is a team," Guardiola said. "Ortega saved the actions otherwise Arsenal will be champions. He has this talent. In one-on-ones, he is one of the best 'keepers I've ever seen in my life."

The German shot-stopper now looks set to start City's must-win game against West Ham on the final day, as they seek to clinch a fourth successive Premier League title. They need to match or better Arsenal's result at home to Everton to be crowned champions again.

"It's the German culture, stand up, don't go down, it's really, really good. He's played in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, Ederson has four times setback for injuries. He's so reliable and an incredible 'keeper. The club made an incredible decision to bring him here," Guardiola added about his backup goalkeeper.