Pep Guardiola confirms extent of Benjamin Mendy's injury | OneFootball

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Benjamin Mendy will be sidelined for up to three months with a knee injury.

Mendy played the full 90 minutes of City’s 3-1 win over rivals Manchester United two weeks ago, but the France international underwent surgery in Barcelona before the international break.

When asked at his press conference on Friday how long the left back is expected to be out for, Guardiola replied: “10 to 12 weeks”

The Blues boss also confirmed that Bernardo Silva will miss Saturday’s trip to West Ham and possibly the mid-week Champions League clash with Lyon with a minor injury, while Kevin De Bruyne has not yet returned to training.

However, in better news, Nicolás Otamendi has now returned to full fitness and is in contention to play this weekend.

Mendy joined City from Monaco in the summer of 2017 but missed most of his first season at the club after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his other knee.

The 24-year-old returned to action towards the end of last season and played a bit-part in France’s World Cup triumph, but he also struggled for fitness in the first part of this campaign and has still made just 19 appearances since joining City.

If Guardiola’s projection is correct, the earliest Mendy could return is when the Premier League champions host Arsenal on 2 February 2019.