MANUEL AKANJI will have surgery on a groin injury on Saturday and faces a fight to return before the end of the season.
Manchester City’s Swiss defender limped out of the Champions League defeat to Real Madrid on Tuesday and has been assessed this week.
And medics have decided he will go under the knife – which could see him sidelined for up to 10 weeks.
That means he will miss a large chunk of the games remaining and may not be back until early May.
Boss Pep Guardiola has had to deal with injuries to most of his defenders this season and believes the extra workload has caught up with Akanji.
He said: “He’ll have surgery on his adductor on Saturday and it will be eight to 10 weeks.
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“We wish the best recovery for Manu because of the effort he has done for us this season.
“It’s been unbelievable.
“Him and Nathan Ake have played in difficult conditions to help the team in an emergency due to lack of players in those positions.
“In the end, the body said enough is enough.”
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Guardiola said the news was better on England midfielder Jack Grealish – who was also subbed in the defeat to Madrid.
He is unlikely to face Newcastle on Saturday but is not expecting another long absence for his £100 million signing.
He said: “With Jack, it’s not as bad as Manu has done but I don’t think he will be ready for Saturday.
“We will assess it in the next hours.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
