Samir Nasri is relieved that the injury he suffered on Sunday is not as serious as first thought, but he still faces eight weeks on the sidelines.
The Manchester City playmaker was the victim of a terrible challenge during their 2-0 win at Newcastle United, a result which returned the Blues to the Premier League summit. Nasri was in possession of the ball when Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa took a wild lunge at him, which incredibly only saw him collect a yellow card from referee Mike Jones.
Having been stretchered off the field it looked as though the former Arsenal midfielder would face a lengthy layoff, with concerns surrounding his presence at the World Cup Finals felt in France. However, whilst it has been confirmed he has suffered knee ligament damage, it is only partially ruptured so will be out of action for eight weeks.
Nasri took to twitter to thank everyone for their well wishes, and accepted that the expected length of his absence is perhaps a good thing when the nature of the challenge he received is considered. However, he will still miss some crucial matches as Manuel Pellegrini’s side look to secure silverware in all competitions.
The 26-year-old will likely miss eight league matches, including the home clash against Chelsea and trips to Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United. He will also have to watch from the stands when City take on either their neighbours or Sunderland in the League Cup final, and could be out of possible FA Cup contention until the semi-final.
In the UEFA Champions League, Nasri will miss the historic Round of 16 battle with Barcelona at the Etihad Stadium, which is arguably the tie of the round. He will, though, hope to be back in time for the return leg at the Camp Nou, which is scheduled to take place in Catalonia on the evening of Wednesday 12 March.
