MANCHESTER // The Manchester City midfielder Vincent Kompany is scheduled for a foot operation that is certain to rule him out for the start of the Premier League campaign, the club confirmed yesterday. Kompany returned early from their training week in the German state of Bavaria and manager Mark Hughes is resigned to losing his services in a bid to solve the problem of the Belgium international's nagging toe injury.
Pain-killing injections and specially-adapted boots became the norm for Kompany in the second half of last season following his arrival from Hamburg. But he is now resting up. "The likelihood is that he will need a procedure. If he has to have an operation Vincent will miss the start of the season," said Hughes. Hughes believes it is important the 23-year-old is treated sooner rather than later. "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," he said. "But he was suffering the same amount of pain again in training in Germany.
"He's going 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." Kompany still managed to make 34 appearances in his debut season at Eastlands. "We nursed him through to the point where he had to concede that he just couldn't carry on," added Hughes. "He had numerous needles into the joint but he stuck with it bravely. He did really well for the team."
* PA Sport
