Josko Gvardiol on Man City return, 'nerves' and how he came back from injury so soon

Josko Gvardiol admits watching Manchester City's ding-dong title battle with Arsenal has been bad for his nerves.

Gvardiol has spent the last four months on the sidelines recovering from a fractured right leg. In that time, Pep Guardiola's men have been locked in a scrap with Arsenal to become English champions.

Gvardiol made his comeback ahead of schedule in City's 3-0 win over Crystal Palace on Wednesday night, which reduced the lead of Mikel Arteta's men to just two points. And Gvardiol insists looking on from afar has been a strain.

He said: "It's been stressful. Really stressful. It's even more stressful when you are sitting on the bench, or behind the bench in the stands because you know that you cannot do much.

"Now, once I'm back with the team, I know that every time I get an opportunity, every time I I come on, I have to give my best. So I would say now it's easier to handle the pressure, you know."

Gvardiol feared his season would be over when he suffered the injury in a game with Chelsea at the start of 2026. But he has worked overtime to return quicker than he thought.

The defender is now focusing on helping City's final push for more trophies, before turning his attentions to being involved at the World Cup with Croatia, who have been drawn in the same group as England.

He added: "It's been four months. I thought that it was going to be longer, but I think four months is more than enough. It's normally between four and six months. As you can see, I've worked really hard. I'm happy that I've been through that process of rehab, whatever it is.

"I took it as a challenge, something new in my career. I'm going be ready for the World Cup. The timing of the injury means I might feel fresher.

"So, yeah, there are three games left, starting with the FA Cup final on Saturday. Now we need to recover and be ready."

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