News that Benjamin Mendy has had to undergo surgery for a separate knee injury to the one that blighted his first season at Manchester City last year will not sit well with fans.
City have made a virtually unblemished start to the new season, unbeaten in their opening 12 games as well as powering through the Champions League after an initial shaky start, and Mendy has been a fundamental part of it, aiding the incumbent Premier League champions in the defensive stability as well as contributing five assists on his part.
No return date has been given for the Frenchman to return with a statement provided by the club leaving us none the wiser; “Surgery was conducted on Wednesday evening and everyone at Manchester City wishes Benjamin a speedy recovery” (MCFC).
With their lofty aspirations of both retaining the league title and pursuing their first ever Champions League success, can City really rely on the admittedly enthusiastic but dubious character of Mendy with his second spell on the sidelines in a little over a year?
Faouzi Ghoulam could remain an option in January should City’s left-back still not be on the verge of making a reappearance. City manager Pep Guardiola was said to be interested in making him a Cityzen after Benjamin’s first injury had an undetermined return date. A quality passer of the ball who excelled in Maurizio Sarri’s dynamic Napoli side, the Algerian could fit sufficiently into this not dissimilar City side.
Furthermore the Serie A side are currently embattled in a tough European group alongside Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool. Should they drop into the Europa League, this could make the 27-year-old still eligible to compete in the higher competition with the Blues come the New Year due to new rules in play.
However, attention by the money-bags Manchester club may once again turn to Tottenham Hotspur.
Danny Rose, having seen how well his former teammate Kyle Walker has excelled at City since his extravagant move in the summer of 2017 to arguably be the best right-back in Europe would no doubt be flattered by the interest.
The Englishman has been out of the Spurs side in recent weeks with a groin strain but is expected to return by the end of the month, and is going someway to recapture the ability he demonstrated before blotting his career path with some disparaging remarks last year about his Spurs side. This also came amid interest up north from Manchester United.
Ben Davies, who usually jostles with Rose for a starting berth under Mauricio Pochettino, remains another option. The Welshman has failed to nail down a consistent place in the Spurs starting line-up, but at 25-years-old brings a wealth of experience with over 160 EPL performances at both the Lilywhites and former club Swansea City. At the Etihad, Davies would no doubt fancy his chances ahead of Fabian Delph and Oleksandr Zinchenko who have deputised for Mendy in the past.
