Bacary Sagna Injury Blow Ahead of Crystal Palace Test Opens Door for Otamendi

Bacary Sagna suffered an ankle injury playing for France on Monday and is a doubt for Manchester City’s Premier League match with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park this weekend, according to Samuel Luckhurst writing for the Manchester Evening News. 

With Pablo Zabaleta, City’s other specialist right-back, out until the end of September with a knee injury suffered in training, it leaves manager Manuel Pellegrini with something of a headache for the trip to high-flying Palace.

It will be a source of frustration for Pellegrini that Sagna was hobbling for 10 minutes, clearly in discomfort, before finally being substituted at half-time.

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Sagna, who has been in superb form so far this season in the absence of Zabaleta, will be a huge loss. Given the paucity of his appearances during his debut year at City, he failed to ever build any momentum, but an unbroken run in the side in the opening month of the new campaign has seen him impress.

There have even been suggestions Zabaleta would have a fight on his hands to win his place back when fit. Stuart Brennan, the Manchester Evening News' chief City writer, even put Sagna in his first-choice XI recently when fans were asked for their opinion.

His link-up play with Jesus Navas has been excellent. He lacks the quality Zabaleta offers in the final third, but he has been outstanding defensively and offered an abundance of energy down the right-hand side in City’s first four games.

One option available to Pellegrini is to give new signing Nicolas Otamendi his debut in a somewhat unfamiliar position. Otamendi played at right-back for Argentina against Germany at the World Cup in 2010, but he was, of course, signed to challenge Eliaquim Mangala and Vincent Kompany at centre-back.

Given Mangala and Kompany have been superb so far, Pellegrini was reluctant to break up their partnership. Otamendi looked set for a period on the sidelines waiting for an opportunity.

Although starting at full-back is far from ideal for the former Valencia man, it at least offers a chance to experience Premier League football for the first time.

Gael Clichy would have been a more obvious deputy, but he, too, is currently on the sidelines with an ankle injury and isn’t expected back for a number of weeks. He is yet to play so far this season, and according to Richard Jolly writing for ESPN, he suffered a setback in training that has delayed his return to the side. 

Should Sagna miss the trip to Palace, it would represent the first real test of City’s new-found squad depth.

Their summer transfer activity has been widely lauded—seen by many as the most well executed window of any Premier League club. It’s left them with arguably the strongest squad they’ve ever had, with competition for places fierce in almost every position.

With the club setting their ambitions high and wanting to reclaim domestic dominance whilst at the same time improving their Champions League performance, they’re going to need to call upon every ounce of quality in their squad over the course of the season. 

As well as potentially robbing City of their only fit and available right-back, the international break also threatens to unsettle City’s perfect start to the season.

Four wins from four have seen City race out of the blocks, establishing an eight-point lead over last season’s champions Chelsea already, and the last thing Pellegrini wanted was an international round of fixtures breaking their momentum. 

Pellegrini knows three points against Palace are hugely important in maintaining their early-season form. he will have to do it with just one recognised full-back, though. It's far from ideal, but City's squad is the best equipped in the league to deal with injury problems. 

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2015/16 season. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.