Premier League and Champions League winner looks unrecognisable in new snap as fans stunned

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Mateo Kovacic is sporting a new, fashionable hairstyle as he recovers from an Achilles and ankle injury. The Manchester City midfielder underwent an operation on the tendon ahead of the Club World Cup in the summer to fix the issue, but suffered another setback this season.

While he did feature off the bench against Villarreal and Everton in October, the Croatian felt more discomfort in his Achilles and went under the knife for a second time shortly after. Now, Kovacic has shared some snaps of himself getting back to normal footballing life, and fans are stunned by his transformation.

The midfielder was often seen with a crew cut hairstyle and a decent beard, but it seems he has enjoyed switching up his look. Kovacic is now sporting some longer, curly locks with a clean-shaven face as he captioned his Instagram story post: "Happy to be back at club camp."

Fans were stunned by the City star's looks as they shared thoughts on social media. One wrote: "Who's this??? Hahaha."

Another said: "WHERE HAS THIS BEAUTIFUL HAIR BEEN?" While a third added: "That's Cillian Murphy, where is Kovacic."

Kovacic, who won the Premier League with City and multiple Champions Leagues with Chelsea and Real Madrid , is still expected to be out until at least the turn of the year.

Guardiola revealed in October that the midfielder will be out for around four months, with a return expected in January. He said: "He will be out for a while. He still has a problem with the ankle, a little calcification still there.

"We'll wait on him for the last part of the season."

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The Spanish manager could've used Kovacic's support on Tuesday evening, after City survived a late Fulham comeback to win their midweek game 5-4. The former Premier League champions were 5-1 up thanks to goals from Erling Haaland , Tijani Reijnders and Phil Foden , but the Cottagers hit back in stunning style with three goals in 20 minutes.

Now, Kovacic's focus will remain on getting back to domestic football and also recovering in time for the World Cup in 2026. International boss Zlatko Dalic hopes that the midfielder "doesn't miss out" on the major tournament and is confident he will make a return in time.

Speaking in October, Dalic said: "We believe he'll be with us at the World Cup. I'd like him to be back in March.

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