There’s no point in tiptoeing around it, losing Aymeric Laporte for any period of time is pretty much the worst-case injury scenario for Manchester City.



Pep Guardiola’s side have found a way to cope without a proper left back for two seasons, managed to mould Ilkay Gundogan into a passable Fernandinho back-up, and even won a domestic treble without Kevin De Bruyne.



So there should be some confidence that they can find a way again, but it will take a significant shift to cover for Laporte’s absence, given he is their most consistent defender by far and, perhaps more importantly, absolutely vital to City’s build-up play. Only Ederson can match Laporte in terms of influence and uniqueness.



City’s doctors feared the worst as soon as they reached Laporte as he lay stricken on the pitch against Brighton on Saturday; within moments they were performing the initial test which would indicate ACL or at least meniscus damage. Standard...