Benjamin Mendy's Man City Future 'Uncertain' After Being Late for Injury Rehab

Manchester City left-back Benjamin Mendy is reportedly facing an "uncertain" future at the club after angering manager Pep Guardiola by turning up late for an injury rehabilitation session.

The Frenchman, who missed the majority of the previous campaign due to injury, has been sidelined with a foot problem recently and is poised to miss the Premier League showdown with Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.

However, it's reported by Mark Ogden of ESPN FC that Guardiola has been left unhappy with Mendy's punctuality after he was three hours late for a session on Sunday.

"Sources have told ESPN FC that Mendy's future has been questioned by Guardiola because of the manager's increasing annoyance with his professionalism," Ogden wrote. "Sources have also said Guardiola was furious with Mendy on Sunday when the player reported three hours late for treatment at the training ground."

Sam Lee of Goal added that the City manager has had concerns about the former Monaco man in the past:

Ogden noted that Guardiola did address the issue at his press conference on Friday. "Yes, he was late," the former Bayern Munich and Barcelona coach said. "I have spoken to him. They [players] know that they have to be here on time."

As was evident by his social media activity, Mendy was at the boxing at Wembley on Saturday night, where Anthony Joshua knocked out Alexander Povetkin in a heavyweight tussle:

James Robson of the Evening Standard thinks this is an issue that may continue to rumble on for a while:

Having missed so much of 2017-18, Mendy's presence in the XI for the early stages of this campaign was a major boost for City supporters, especially given how popular he has become with fans for his colourful social media posts.

On the left flank, he offered a totally different dynamic to the team's already excellent attacking play, storming down the wing and fizzing dangerous low crosses into the box. 

Early in the campaign, despite playing at left-back, Mendy has been one of the most creative players in European football:

The issue City have when Mendy is out is that they aren't blessed with another natural in the position. In the main, Fabian Delph stepped into the role last season and did a fine job, while Danilo and Oleksandr Zinchenko occasionally filled in too.

The lack of timekeeping will rile Guardiola, as so much of his philosophy is based around meticulous details being adhered to. And while Mendy is clearly a key player when he's in top condition, it appears he will need to improve his application off the pitch to be a big part of this City team for years to come.