Ready to show fans just what I can do, reveals Benjamin Mendy
Getty
Manchester City left-back Benjamin Mendy has admitted that it’s nice to be back playing football and that he’s waiting to show the fans what he can do. The 25-year-old has struggled with injuries since signing for the club in 2017 managing to make only 26 appearances over the course of two years.
The left-back, who joined Manchester City from Monaco in the summer of 2017 has managed to make less than 30 appearances in his first two seasons. A cruciate injury to his knee saw him miss seven months of his first season, with a meniscus tear in his second, saw the Frenchman miss out on the final half of last season. It also saw Pep Guardiola shift his allegiances, opting to use Oleksandr Zinchenko even when Mendy was fit which has caused a few problems for the Frenchman.
However, with a season debut against Shakhtar Donetsk and then his first start against Watford, it does look like Mendy is on his way back from an injury and this time he is here to stay. In an interview with ManCity.com, the full-back had a lot to say but his biggest point was that he’s here to stay and will show the Manchester City fans just how committed he is.
“It’s a very, very good feeling. It was not easy. I am not crying, nothing changed. I worked very hard in Barcelona and Manchester [during the rehabilitation period]. All the physios helped me a lot. I was injured, came back, then was injured. The fans can be sad, I can understand, but I can do nothing more than work hard. I listened to the doctor and I worked on my knee. Now I hope everything is good and I can give everything to this club for a very, very long time,” he told ManCity.com.
With Mendy back in the running, Pep Guardiola will have a selection headache and one that Joao Cancelo's presence will not help. While the Portuguese is a right-back by trade, Cancelo can play on either side and has been used by Guardiola as a left-back, so far. Yet despite that and Zinchenko's performances over the last few months, Mendy isn't worried. The Frenchman went on to say that while he would have liked to play the full 90 minutes in all the games he's played so far, he's more than willing to do what the manager wants him to.
"I feel very good. We are working very nice, all the team. They helped me a lot to get me back with the squad. I am back with them now and I want to keep going in this way. I feel good, my knee is good, now I need rhythm. I am very happy, I want 90 minutes, why not, but I am here for the squad and ready to play for the manager,” concluded the Frenchman.
