Manchester City have begun the season in tremendous fashion, topping the Premier League and their UEFA Champions League group but their 5-0 win over Crystal Palace on the weekend came at a cost for left-back Benjamin Mendy who suffered a knee injury that looked serious.
The French defender had impressed since his world-record £56.5 million arrival in the summer but was forced off the pitch on Saturday night, triggering fears of a long absence.
“Tomorrow he’s travelling to Barcelona and we will see finally what he has,” Manchester City manager Guardiola said after City’s 2-0 win over Shaktar Donetsk on Tuesday night.
“Our first impression is that it will it be a little long, longer than we expected. It is very frustrating for him first as a person,” the Catalan manager admitted.
Mendy’s absence, which is now being estimated as anywhere between three-four months, will hit the Sky Blues hard considering they do not have a single left-back in reserve.
Midfielder Fabian Delph is deputised at left-back for their mid-week tie and Guardiola is confident his side has enough depth to cope with the powerful Mendy’s absence.
“We have alternatives, Delph, Fernandinho, Zinchenko. We will see,” the City manager stressed.
City, who are topping the Premier League after six games played, travel to defending champions Chelsea for a crunch fixture on Saturday before the international break commences.
Should they be able to come away from their trip to Stamford Bridge with three points, the Sky Blues will have firmly cemented their favourites tag for the year’s title. It, however, remains to be seen if Mendy’s absence will prove telling in the coming months.