Balotelli blow for City

Italian striker set to undergo knee operation

Last updated: 8th September 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Balotelli blow for City

Balotelli: Knee problem

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Manchester City have revealed that Mario Balotelli is set to be out for six weeks as he requires knee surgery.

The striker only joined City over the summer in a big-money move from Inter Milan, but has already been consigned to the sidelines.

He damaged his knee while making a goalscoring debut against Timisoara in a Europa League tie in August.

The 20-year-old frontman will now be denied the opportunity to make an instant impression in the Premier League as he will require a period of rest after going under the knife.

Balotelli has jetted back to Milan to have the operation, with City keen to see the procedure carried out as soon as possible.

Recovery

He faces the prospect of sitting out crucial contests against Chelsea and Arsenal in the league, as well as a European date with Juventus.

City had hoped that their star recruit would be able to shake off the problem without the need for surgery, but have now resigned themselves to the fact that they must follow that course of action.

"The Italian's injury is to the lateral meniscus, one of the two most crucial structures in the knee, and medical wisdom is to try and encourage the problem to heal without recourse to an operation," read a statement on the club's official website.

"It was hoped that the symptoms would settle down but once Balotelli began to step up his recovery programme this week, it became clear that action would need to be taken."

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