Manchester City full-back Oleksandr Zinchenko will be out for up to five weeks after undergoing knee surgery in Barcelona.
The defender has started seven games this season but was not in the squad for the recent trip to Crystal Palace in the Premier League, or the Champions League home game against Atalanta.
The club revealed on Tuesday that the Ukraine international is suffering from a knee injury, and on Friday he posted on Instagram from his hospital bed following surgery.
Pep Guardiola later commented on the injury, confirming the timeframe for Zinchenko's return: "Zinchenko had contact with the knee and felt something in the bone. He has to stop for four or five weeks. He had (surgery) to clean the knee."
Zinchenko began life as an attacking midfielder, and still plays further forward for his country, but he has found a place in the City team at left-back, making 29 appearances in all competitions last season.
Joao Cancelo came on at left-back in the latest Champions League clash, and luckily for City, their new signing can play either full-back position.
They also have Benjamin Mendy fit again, and the Frenchman is likely to retain his position on the left side of City’s defence for the foreseeable future.
Guardiola has had to shuffle his pack due to injuries across his back line, and his best defender, Aymeric Laporte, is out until February.
Fernandinho and Rodri have been asked to fill in at centre-back, but the Spaniard picked up a hamstring injury himself in the game against Atalanta.
City will now turn to English central defender John Stones, who has just returned from injury himself. Nicolas Otamendi is also fit again, but the Argentine has not been in the best of form so far this season.
The club have spent lots of money under Guardiola, assembling a deep squad equipped to deal with such injury crises, but even they have looked thin on the ground at times this season.
City now sit just six points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool, with the two teams meeting for the first time this season on November 10.