The Manchester City defender Jerome Boateng has been ruled out for virtually the rest of the Premier League football season after being told he needs to undergo knee surgery.
Boateng suffered the injury while on national duty with Germany last week.
However there was more positive news for manager Roberto Mancini regarding Micah Richards.
Mancini says he's hoping that the defender, who suffered a hamstring injury last week while with the England under-21 team, will be fit in time for the FA Cup semi-final clash with rivals Manchester United at Wembley on April the 16th.
The twin problem, coupled with Kolo Toure's continued absence following his failed drugs test, leaves City struggling for defenders ahead of their upcoming Premier League encounter with Sunderland.
