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Mendy to miss City's season opener

Cape Town - Benjamin Mendy has been ruled out for the start of the Premier League season with a thigh injury.

The 23-year-old signed with Manchester City from Monaco for a reported £52m fee on Monday but it has now been revealed the defender has been carrying the injury for eight months.

He passed his medical before sealing his switch from Ligue 1 but is now expected to start a rehabilitation programme.

City boss Pep Guardiola said: "Unfortunately he is a little bit injured and is not ready for the next two or three weeks."

With Mendy out, it gives fellow new signing Danilo an opportunity to cement his place in the team, and he performed admirably as City defeated Real Madrid 4-1 in the International Champions Cup pre-season tournament on Wednesday.

Kyle Walker also made his debut, with Guardiola adding: "This is pre-season, we lost the last game against United but did good things.

"Today was good for the confidence of the players, the way we played with intensity and the level of the performance.

"We want to compete with everyone, our dream is to be more stable and solid. Kyle Walker and Danilo helped us increase our intensity, as will Mendy.

"The result is not important, it's the way we tried to fight for each and the way we played which is important for our future."

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