Source: SKY_Sports
Kompany requires surgery
Manchester City's Vincent Kompany looks certain to miss the start of the Premier League season as he requires surgery on his injured toe.
A rest period was expected to cure the 23-year-old Belgium international's niggling toe injury, but the problem has resurfaced in pre-season training in Germany.
Mark Hughes has now conceded that Kompany needs to go under the knife in order to fix the problem once and for all.
The City boss admits Kompany will miss their season opener against Blackburn on 15th August, but he believes it will benefit everyone concerned that he is able to guarantee his fitness long-term.
Operation required
"The likelihood is that he will need a procedure. If he has to have an operation Vincent will miss the start of the season," he told the club's official website.
"We sent him to a consultant surgeon at the end of last season and he recommended injecting the toe and giving him six weeks complete rest, but he was suffering the same amount of pain again in training in Germany.
"He's been back to see the surgeon now. We hoped the rest would cure it but it's a bit more complex than that. It's important that we address it now and make sure Vince is fit for the rest of the season."
Determination
Hughes has praised the Hamburg man's determination to solider on for City last season despite requiring pain-killing injections in order to play.
"We nursed him through to the point where he had to concede that he just couldn't carry on," he continued.
"He had numerous needles into the joint but he stuck with it bravely. He did really well for the team."
