u/purple-flamingos

Manchester City can confirm that Risa Shimizu’s absence throughout the start of our 2026/27 season is due to a quad injury. The Japan international sustained the issue in the latter stages of our pre-season preparations.

Shimizu spent 2025/26 on loan at Barclays Women’s Super League outfit Liverpool as she looked to make her return to full fitness following an Anterior Cruciate Ligament rupture the season prior.

Now, the 30-year-old is looking to return to Andrée Jeglertz’s side as quickly as possible, with Shimizu already making positive progress in her rehabilitation with the Club’s medical staff.

Everyone at City would like to wish Risa the very best in her recovery.

"The Club can confirm that Rebecca Knaak suffered an ankle injury in our pre-season friendly win over Manchester United.

The German defender has since returned to the City Football Academy after having a scan, and will now work with the Club's medical team on her recovery.

Knaak played a pivotal role in our double-winning campaign in 2025/26, famously scoring a dramatic stoppage time header to beat Liverpool in our penultimate match of the WSL season.

She made the most headed clearances of any City player (25) across the campaign, and her 92% passing accuracy was again a league high among her City team-mates.

Everyone at City would like to wish Rebecca the very best in her recovery and add that we're all looking forward to her return to action."

"Manchester City Women are pursuing a move to sign Bayer Leverkusen full-back Carlotta Wamser.

The 22-year-old Germany international has attracted interest from across Europe this summer, but City are now leading the race for her signature ahead of next Friday’s transfer deadline.

Wamser was not included in Leverkusen’s matchday squad for their Frauen-Bundesliga match against Wolfsburg on Sunday.

It comes with City having several players currently unavailable through injury, including Jade Rose, Niamh Charles, Grace Clinton and Vivianne Miedema, the latter of whom has been on crutches.

Capable of playing right-back and left-back, Wamser joined Leverkusen on a free transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt in July 2025. She has made 20 appearances, scoring two goals and providing one assist.

If a deal proceeds, she would be City’s third signing of the season, alongside former Chelsea full-back Charles and former Arsenal winger Beth Mead.

Four first-team players have departed the club this summer: goalkeepers Khiara Keating to Liverpool and Katie Startup to Birmingham City, defender Leila Ouahabi to NWSL side Chicago Stars and winger Kerolin to Barcelona for a reported fee in the region of £1.25million.

City’s lack of incomings have been notable compared to rivals Arsenal and Chelsea, particularly given their increasingly congested fixture schedule they face having qualified for the Women’s Champions League following their first domestic title triumph in a decade.

City faced Manchester United in a behind-closed-doors friendly on 29 August, defeating their local rivals 2-0 in the process."

Manchester is blue even in preseason 🩵

I hope she'll actually get to play this season. Her loan at Crystal Palace last season was pretty useless in terms of playing time.