Manchester City have confirmed Gabriel Jesus suffered a fractured metatarsal during their 2-0 win over Bournemouth.
The 19 year-old Brazilian was withdrawn by Pep Guardiola after 15 minutes when he landed awkwardly on his ankle.
Guardiola was hopeful for good news after the match, when he said he was praying for a speedy recovery for his newest signing but his worst fears have now been realised.
A statement on the club's website confirmed the break, saying: "He will undergo further examinations in the coming days to establish the extent of his layoff."
While Jesus' injury is not good news for Guardiola or his team, it does provide a way back in for Sergio Aguero. Jesus had scored three goals in two league starts as a Manchester city player and it seemed Guardiola had found a good offensive balance with a three-pronged attack of Jesus, Sterling and Sane.
It now seems likely that Aguero will return to lead the line in Jesus's absence and after scoring last night he served a timely reminder of his deadly finishing ability. That does mean the team wil lose a bit of their mobility though and how Guardiola reshuffles his system to accomodate Aguero could be crucial in the title race.
Their recent good form has got Man City to within eight points of Chelsea and consequently their odds of winning the title have dropped to 9/1. How much further head way they can make with Jesus expected to be out for two or three months remains to be seen though.
