Stevan Jovetic an injury concern for Manchester City’s trip to Arsenal

• 24-year-old has picked up a hamstring injury
• Jovetic will miss Montenegro’s match with Moldova
• Jovetic eager to make up for lost time at Man City

Stevan Jovetic has scored two goals in Manchester CIty's first three Premier League matches this season. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Stevan Jovetic is expected to discover on Tuesday if the hamstring injury he suffered training with Montenegro at the weekend will rule him out of Manchester City’s visit to Arsenal on Saturday.

The striker was returned to City by his national team and is expected back in Manchester on Monday evening. Whether Jovetic will require a scan on the problem has yet to be determined, with City’s medical staff still to examine the forward.

As Álvaro Negredo is on loan at Valencia Jovetic’s latest injury will be a concern for Manuel Pellegrini. The manager’s only other striking options are Edin Dzeko and Sergio Agüero, who Pellegrini has been nursing back to match condition. The Argentinian started his first match of the season in City’s last outing, the 1-0 defeat to Stoke City at the Etihad Stadium, with Agüero having scored twice when coming on as replacement, in the wins over Newcastle United and Liverpool.

Dzeko has yet to score for City though he did register in last week’s 3-0 win for Bosnia over Liechtenstein.

Ivan Radovic, Montenegro’s press officer, said. “Stevan Jovetic has a hamstring injury and has returned to City. He can’t play [on Monday] against Moldova. All I know is that he is unavailable for this game. He suffered the problem in training, trying to catch a faster ball.”

Jovetic has been plagued by injuries since joining City in summer 2013. The latest problem is a third hamstring problem since December and the 24-year-old has also had a calf injury and been struck by illness.

He managed only 20 appearances last season but did score eight goals and Pellegrini has regularly mentioned him as an important player in the attempt to emulate Manchester United and Chelsea as the only teams to retain the Premier League crown.

Jovetic enjoyed a fine display in City’s 3-1 win over Liverpool at the end of August, scoring twice. Yet given the 1-0 home defeat to Stoke, Pellegrini will hope to have the Montenegrin available as he seeks to ensure City can bounce back straightaway against Arsenal.

City lost 3-0 to Arsène Wenger’s side in the Community Shield final at Wembley, though Pellegrini’s team were missing many regular starters owing to their recovery from World Cup commitments.