Man City dealt big injury blow as £33.7m summer signing is forced off early against Tottenham

Manchester City have been left sweating over one of their summer signings after Rayan Ait-Nouri came off injured in the first half of their clash with Tottenham.

The Algerian full-back lasted just 22 minutes at the Etihad Stadium before being forced off with what appeared to be an ankle problem.

He had initially gone down for treatment around the quarter-hour mark, but attempted to continue before eventually signalling that he could not carry on.

Nathan Ake was quickly introduced in his place, leaving Pep Guardiola with an early reshuffle at the back.

It is a particularly untimely setback for Guardiola, with Ait-Nouri having impressed on his first Premier League start for City last weekend.

The 24-year-old played the full 90 minutes in the 4-0 victory away at his former club Wolves, where he was heavily involved throughout.

He had 97 touches of the ball and topped the match charts for tackles (six), clearances (six) and interceptions (three). He also found time to register two shots going forward in a commanding all-round display.

City had paid £33.7million to prise him away in June, with Ait-Nouri describing the move as a 'dream come true'.

'I am incredibly happy and honoured to have joined Manchester City,' he told club media upon his arrival. 'City are one of the biggest clubs in the world and the chance to play for the club is a dream come true.

'I am also excited about working with and learning from Pep and his coaching team and getting to train and play alongside such a world class group of players. Joining City is also a very proud moment for my family too. Now I can't wait to get started and to play in front of our supporters.'

City's Director of Football Hugo Viana hailed the signing at the time, insisting that the Algerian international had been a long-term target.

'Rayan is a player that as a club we have been following closely for quite some time and we are delighted he has joined us,' Viana said.

'He already has extensive Premier League experience and has also demonstrated his quality at international level with Algeria. We feel sure that he will be an excellent addition to our squad and that working alongside Pep and his coaching staff will help develop his game even further.'

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