Jeremy Doku could miss the entire festive schedule through injury as Pep Guardiola gears up to make wholesale changes for Manchester City's Carabao Cup quarter-final.
The Belgium international, in electric form this season, missed Sunday's victory at Crystal Palace with a leg problem and Guardiola has ruled him out of games with West Ham and Nottingham Forest.
City are waiting to see whether Doku can make a return at Sunderland on New Year's Day and are also without Omar Marmoush, who has headed off to the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt.