Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola on Tuesday said he fears French full-back Benjamin Mendy might be on the sidelines for months.
Mendy sustained a knee injury during Saturday’s 5-0 win over Crystal Palace in the English Premier League and is expected to fly to see Guardiola’s personal medical team in Barcelona on Thursday.
There is still an uncertainty regarding the extent of the injury and how long it will take for him to return.
“He is travelling to Barcelona and we are going to see what he has,” said Guardiola after City’s 2-0 over Shakhtar Donetsk on matchday 2 of the Uefa Champions League.
“Our first impression is that it will it be a little long, longer than we expected which is unfortunate. But I am pretty sure it will be longer than we would like.
“It’s very frustrating for him, first as a person but, like happened with Ilkay Gundogan, I feel really sad for him.
“The way we want to play, we will miss him a lot. He is a unique player, the joy he gives on and off the pitch. I think it is a major setback.”
Mendy was signed for £50 million from Monaco during the summer after having a whirlwind season with the Principality club that culminated in them winning the Ligue 1 trophy.