Timm Klose’s inevitable injury absence - for however long - brings into sharp focus the need for City to maintain their excellent hunt for a bargain in football’s shopping aisles.

Klose was effectively one of a group of four central defenders Daniel Farke wanted to choose from for the Premier League campaign. But, as he took the first steps into the season after a neck injury, the popular Swiss international was struck by bad luck and, unwittingly, an opponent, during the Carabao Cup defeat at Crawley.

The post-game verdict was a "horrible" injury - scans were expected to have been taken yesterday on what is feared was an ACL injury. That could be season over for Klose - and one fewer option for City's head coach.

However, sporting director Stuart Webber and Farke have a carefully managed recruitment policy; a philosophy of self-sufficiency dictates that the greatest of care has to be taken on signings. Which is why, numerically at least, Klose's absence is already covered.

Ben Godfrey and Grant Hanley have occupied the central defensive berths in the three Premier League games to date, Hanley in there really because Christoph Zimmermann was sidelined. Zimmermann will, hopefully, be back soon, which leaves three.

On top of that is the possibility of midweek debutant Ibrahim Amadou having his name added to the options: the summer signing doesn't quite fit into an exact category, positionally, at the moment, by Farke's own admission. But the signs are that playing alongside Godfrey at the back wouldn't be too onerous. The only concern might be that Amadou still has only the Crawley game on his City CV. How ready is he for Saturday's game at West Ham?

Farke has been known to sling in the odd surprise so his presence at the London Stadium shouldn't be written off just yet, but with Hanley having endured a difficult start to the season (not surprising given his long absence from first team action) the temptation must be there.

Whatever the scan results show, it isn't good news, but with all due respect to Klose, it could have been worse... had City not shopped well.