Manuel Pellegrini has revealed that Manchester City could be without captain Vincent Kompany until “the last part of the season”.
The Belgian defender limped off nine minutes into his Boxing Day comeback against Sunderland after seven weeks on the sidelines.
He has not played since picking up what The Guardian claims to be his 13th separate calf injury in his seven years at the Etihad.
And Citizens boss Pellegrini has admitted that the 29-year-old may not be back until the latter stages of the Premier League run-in.
“Its difficult to know. We are still trying to find out the reasons for so many injuries. Myself I’m not so sure, maybe the last part of the season,” The Guardian quotes Pellegrini as saying.
Such is Kompany’s huge influence on City’s fortunes that this news will come as a major boost to their biggest title rivals Arsenal.
The Blues have conceded only one goal in the eight league games that Kompany has started this season, compared to 20 in the 12 he has not.
Pellegrini must now rely on Nicolas Otamendi, Eliaquim Mangala and Martin Demichelis, and that can only be good for the Gunners.
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