Manchester City are reportedly keen to bring in a new left-back in the summer transfer window.
Four Four Two claimed last month that Pep Guardiola was ‘keen to strengthen’ the position, ‘potentially signalling the end of Benjamin Mendy’s injury-hit four year stay at the Etihad’.
Mendy’s City nightmare
In 2017, City broke the transfer record for a defender with their £52million swoop for AS Monaco’s Mendy (via BBC Sport).
According to Transfermarkt, he missed only eight games through injury during his stay at the Stade Louis II.
But a cruciate ligament rupture in the autumn of his first season in Manchester has regrettably set the tone.
In all, he’s been sidelined for a whopping 122 matches since he joined.
This season, he was out for almost the entirety of October and November with a muscle injury.
In the 3-0 win against Fulham prior to the international break, he made his first start since the draw with West Brom in December.
‘City fought tooth and nail’ to sign Mendy
Speaking on the 93:20 podcast, City Extra’s Harry Siddall reflected on what has proven to be a recruitment failure.
“The club will be absolutely gutted because they fought tooth and nail to get him,” he said.
“No-one could have predicted the injury record Mendy was going to have considering he didn’t pick up any at Monaco.”
Siddall thinks the outlook for the 26-year-old’s career is somewhat bleak.
“It’d be more than a miracle than John Stones,” he said when asked if he could prove a success at another big club.
“It’s frustrating because he’s a very good footballer, but the fact that not one club is interested is even bringing him speaks volumes that people are too worried about his injury record.”
Transfermarkt value Mendy, who has two years remaining on his City contract, at £19.8million, quite the plunge from City’s initial outlay.