Vincent Kompany ruled out yet again with knee injury

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany is facing another spell on the sidelines with a knee injury.

Kompany was substituted after a collision with goalkeeper Claudio Bravo during the first half of Saturday’s Premier League victory at Crystal Palace.

The 30-year-old suffered a concussion in the clash but manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that the knee injury sustained in the same incident is now of greater concern.

“He is injured, he will be out for the next weeks,” said Guardiola at a press conference in Dusseldorf ahead of his side’s Champions League clash with Borussia Monchengladbach on Wednesday.

It is Kompany’s 35th separate injury problem since he joined the club in 2008 and the third to have affected him this season.

He missed the start of the campaign with a thigh problem picked up against Real Madrid in May and then suffered a groin injury on his comeback at Swansea in September.

Since then he has been trying to ease himself back into action but this latest injury in only his fifth appearance of the season is yet another unfortunate setback.

Guardiola said: “Fortunately there is nothing wrong with the head but the real problem is with the knee. He could be out for weeks. He is sad and I am sad because it is a long time he doesn’t play.”

Guardiola confirmed Kompany will receive treatment from Barcelona-based specialist Dr Ramon Cugat, who also advised on the defender’s previous problem.

He said: “He is in the best hands so he can recover as soon as possible. He will make the best treatment possible.”

Guardiola was asked to clarify how long Kompany could be out for but was unable to specify a length of time.

He said: “The doctor told me weeks but didn’t explain how many. We’ll see. It is ligaments.”