Manchester City handed Elliot Anderson injury concern after £116m signing forced off

Manchester City have been handed an early injury concern after £116million summer signing Elliot Anderson was forced off during his Premier League debut against Bournemouth.

Anderson went down shortly after the hour mark following a collision with Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott.

The England international received treatment on the pitch before Enzo Maresca replaced him with Mateo Kovacic.

There was at least some encouragement for City as Anderson was able to walk off without assistance, with the problem appearing to be a knock rather than an immediately serious injury.

Anderson arrived from Nottingham Forest this summer in a club-record £116m transfer and has been brought in as a major part of City's new-look midfield.

His first Premier League appearance for the club was therefore being closely watched.

However, it was cut short during the second half after the collision with Scott.

City's medical staff attended to Anderson before the decision was made not to risk him for the remainder of the match.

The extent of the problem is not yet clear, and City will hope further assessment confirms there is nothing significant to worry about.

The timing is far from ideal for Maresca.

City have already undergone major changes in midfield following the departures of Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Tijjani Reijnders.

Those exits left Maresca short of established options against Bournemouth.

Marc Guehi was deployed in central midfield alongside Anderson, while Nico O'Reilly operated further forward.

Kovacic was available from the bench and eventually replaced Anderson, while Nico Gonzalez was also among the substitutes.

Gonzalez's future remains uncertain, with Newcastle United reportedly showing interest in signing him before the transfer deadline.

Reinforcements are already on the way.

Manchester City have agreed a deal to sign Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi for £84.1m.

The 18-year-old is expected to sign a five-year contract with the option of an additional season, underlining how highly City rate him.

Bouaddi will become another major piece of Maresca's midfield rebuild and his arrival could prove particularly important if Anderson is forced to spend any time on the sidelines.

City could also make further additions before the window closes as they continue reshaping the squad.

City will now assess Anderson to determine whether the midfielder has suffered anything more serious than a knock.

Maresca will be hoping for positive news given the lack of depth currently available in midfield, particularly with Gonzalez potentially leaving before the deadline.

Bouaddi's impending arrival will provide another important option, but Anderson has been signed to play a major role immediately and City will not want their record signing facing an early spell on the sidelines.

How big a concern would losing Anderson be for Manchester City with their midfield already undergoing such major changes?