Football
Richard Jolly, ESPN.com writer 9y

Man City captain Vincent Kompany could miss rest of season - Pellegrini

MANCHESTER -- Manchester City are unsure if their captain Vincent Kompany will be fit to play again this season, manager Manuel Pellegrini has said.

Kompany will be out for several weeks with the muscle injury he aggravated in the 4-2 derby defeat to Manchester United, when he was taken off at half-time following a challenge on Daley Blind that brought him a booking.

The Belgium centre-back had been hurt in the previous match, a 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace, though he was able to finish the game at Selhurst Park.

City have six games left to try to secure a Champions League place and could face a decider against Southampton on May 24, but Pellegrini does not know if the 29-year-old will be back by then.

"It is very difficult to know," he said in a news conference. "He has a muscle injury. We don't know for how many weeks. We don't know if he will be fit for the end of the season."

Kompany is one of five City players who will miss Sunday's match against West Ham, with strikers Stevan Jovetic and Wilfried Bony still out and left-back Gael Clichy and midfielder James Milner added to the injury list.

"Jovetic, Bony, Milner, Clichy and Kompany are not fit," Pellegrini added. "Clichy had a groin problem yesterday [Thursday]. Jovetic and Bony are recovering."

Centre-back Dedryck Boyata is back in contention after returning to training to Thursday, although Eliaquim Mangala is likely to come in for Kompany against West Ham.

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