Mendy returns to Manchester after knee operation in Barcelona

Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy has returned to England following knee surgery in Barcelona.

The France international was pictured at Manchester airport on Thursday afternoon having headed to Spain for an operation on his left knee over a week ago.

The issue was sustained during City's 3-1 win over fierce rivals Manchester United; he played the full 90 minutes but withdrew from the France squad the following day.

The 24-year-old full-back was sent to be assessed by City's surgeon Dr Ramon Cugat in Barcelona and underwent surgery on the cartilage meniscus in his left knee.

The problem is not connected to the ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in Mendy's right knee that he suffered in September last year, restricting him to just eight appearances in his first season at City after a £52million move from Monaco.

The latest injury is understood to be less serious, although it's unclear how long the Frenchman will be out for this time.

Mendy has started 10 of City's 12 Premier League games this season as the champions have stayed unbeaten at the top of the table.

Earlier on Thursday, Mendy was seen sporting silver hair, similar to that of City team-mate Sergio Aguero.

City's official Twitter account uploaded a video of Mendy stretching his legs, one of which was bandaged, but the main focus of the post was the Frenchman's head.

The video was captioned with the message: '.@benmendy23 rocking that @aguerosergiokun look!'