New Manchester City signing Benjamin Mendy will miss the start of the 2017-18 Premier League season with a thigh injury, Pep Guardiola has revealed.
The 23-year-old did not feature in the Citizens' 4-1 pre-season victory over Real Madrid in Los Angeles despite passing a medical and completing a £49.2m move from AS Monaco on Monday.
Guardiola confirmed that the defender has been nursing the injury for eight months and is doubtful for City's league opener away at Brighton & Hove Albion on August 12.
"Unfortunately he is a little bit injured and is not ready for the next two or three weeks," the Spaniard told reporters in Los Angeles.
"We have a guy for the next five or six years, who is physically strong. He is also a funny guy who is going to make a good locker room environment.
"We are going to try to help make him comfortable – it is not easy to move on from one club to another one, and we are so satisfied he decided to come with us."
Fellow summer signing Danilo was deployed as a left wing-back at the LA Coliseum and is expected to deputise for Mendy in the coming weeks.
Giuseppe Labellarte
