Toe injury sidelines Kompany

Manchester City midfielder Vincent Kompany is set to undergo foot surgery which will see him miss the start of the Premier League season, the club confirmed on Monday.

The Belgium international returned early from their training week in Bavaria because of a nagging toe injury which also hampered him in the second half of last season following his arrival from Hamburg.

And Manchester City manager Mark Hughes believes it is important the 23-year-old rectifies the problem as soon as possible.

“The likelihood is that he will need a procedure. If he has to have an operation Vincent will miss the start of the season,” Hughes told the club’s 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,” said the City boss.

“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.”

Kompany still managed to make 34 appearances in his debut season and Hughes added: “We nursed him through to the point where he had to concede that he just couldn’t carry on.

“He had numerous needles into the joint but he stuck with it bravely. He did really well for the team.”