Man City's Benjamin Mendy Ruled Out Until April

A knee injury means Pep Guardiola will have to do without the defender...

Bayern's head coach Pep Guardiola directs his players during a German soccer cup quarter final match between Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Bayern Munich in Leverkusen, western Germany, Wednesday, April 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Martin Meissner/AP

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola revealed during a press conference that left back Benjamin Mendy will be shelved with injury until April, 2018.

Speaking ahead of his side's match against Chelsea on Saturday afternoon, a beleaguered Guardiola also said he wouldn't try to find cover for Mendy. Instead, he would find another way for his team to play, because the French internationalist is irreplaceable.

23-year old Mendy ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament during the first half of Man City's 5-0 win over Crystal Palace last weekend. He then travelled to Barcelona to see a specialist earlier this week, and it was confirmed that he would be on the injured list for much of the 2017-2018 season.

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This is a blow to City, because it means their first-choice left back won't play until at least the semi final stage of this year's Champions League.

Mendy cost City £49.2 million in July. Joining from French champions Monaco, he looked like a shrewd buy, but this latest injury news does nothing for Guardiola's attempts to wrestle the Premier League title from Chelsea or compete with top sides in Europe.

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