Manuel Pellegrini has confirmed he will be without captain Vincent Kompany for up to month with a calf injury.
Kompany, 28, has been suffering from various niggling injuries since the start of the season and was forced off less than 10 minutes into his comeback against Sunderland on Boxing Day after breaking down with another muscular problem.
The City captain was in the stands to watch his team earn a 0-0 draw with title rivals Leicester City on Tuesday and his manager confirmed the Belgium international would now be out of action for the first month of 2016.
“We will see how long Vincent will be out, but I don’t think it will be less than 3-4 weeks,” he told City's official website.
“I am not a doctor, but with a muscle injury, it will be very difficult for him to be back in less than four weeks."
City’s defence has looked particularly vulnerable with Kompany absent, with neither Nicolas Otamendi and Eliaquim Mangala providing convincing arguments that they can cope without their captain.
In fact, last night’s 0-0 draw was a rare match where City have managed to keep a clean sheet without Kompany. With him starting in the team this season, City have failed to lose a league match from his eight starts, compared to the five they have lost without him.
For more stats on Vincent Kompany, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
