Man City blow: Kompany out for a month

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany faces another month on the sidelines after Manuel Pellegrini confirmed the central defender has suffered a new calf injury setback.

Kompany returned from injury as a substitute on Boxing Day but lasted only nine minutes before limping off again, and scans have revealed he has aggravated the same calf but with a different problem.

The Belgium international, 29, missed the goalless draw against Leicester on Tuesday night and Pellegrini revealed he will be out for at least another three to four weeks.

“Vincent has an injury, a second degree tear of the calf,” said Pellegrini following the stalemate at the King Power Stadium.

“We will see how long he will be out, but I don’t think it will be less than three to four weeks.

“I am not a doctor, but with a muscle injury, it will be very difficult for him to be back in less than four weeks. But without him, we must continue to defend as did tonight.”

Kompany has started just eight Premier League games all season for City and the stalemate at the King Power Stadium was the first time Pellegrini’s men have stopped the opposition scoring in his absence.

With Nicolas Otamendi and Eliaquim Mangala yet to keep a clean sheet prior to Tuesday, some City fans may have feared the worst facing the league’s joint-highest scorers without their skipper.

However, the expensive and often criticised central defensive pairing produced an accomplished display in the east midlands, keeping Leicester’s leading scorer Jamie Vardy quiet for much of the game, while the Foxes’ other danger man Riyad Mahrez was also reduced to a bit-part role.

Pellegrini refuted claims City had come for a draw, though.

He said: “I think we are returning to a very solid and consistent team, which is important.

“One of the good things about tonight is that we kept a clean sheet after many games without. But I am not happy because we came here to try to win the game.

“We went for the three points and I think that we had more possession than Leicester and more attempts and did more things to win the game.

“But of course if you can’t win then it is very important you don’t lose and we were a very solid and consistent team defending against a very difficult team like Leicester who have players in a very good moment and that always scores goals.

“I am not happy but not disappointed also because I think we played well but we couldn’t score.”