Aymeric Laporte Knee Injury Reportedly Not as Bad as Feared After Successful Op

Manchester City have confirmed Aymeric Laporte has undergone successful surgery after suffering a knee injury on Saturday, which is reportedly not as bad as first feared.

City provided the update on Wednesday:

Laporte also took to Instagram to thank those who have lent him their support:

The Athletic's Sam Lee and football journalist Kristof Terreur reported a time frame for his recovery:

The defender suffered the injury in a collision with Brighton & Hove Albion's Adam Webster 37 minutes into the Blues' 4-0 win, prompting him to be withdrawn from the contest.

Per City's official Twitter account, after the match, manager Pep Guardiola said his injury "doesn't look good."

He also expressed hope the injury would not be as bad as one suffered by team-mate Leroy Sane in August:

Sane suffered a cruciate ligament injury in the Community Shield against Liverpool, which Guardiola said could keep the German out of action until February or March.

Laporte is a key player at the back for the Citizens, both for his defensive attributes and his ability to play the ball out from the back.

Last season, he made 49 starts in all competitions as City won all four domestic trophies on offer and reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League.

He made 35 appearances in the Premier League, in which City had the second-best record in the division with 23 goals conceded all season.

Laporte's absence will be felt all the more by the Blues after the departure of Vincent Kompany in the summer, while Eliaquim Mangala was also offloaded.

John Stones can slot in alongside Nicolas Otamendi, though he has missed City's last three games with a thigh injury.

Midfielder Fernandinho can alternatively fill in there, as can right-back Kyle Walker given the arrival of Joao Cancelo, but City's defence likely won't be as robust as usual in the coming months.