Ayman Benarous: Midfielder out for 'considerable' time after injury setback
- Published
Teenager Ayman Benarous has been out for more than 18 months after rupturing his ACL in training
Bristol City midfielder Ayman Benarous has suffered a "big setback" in his recovery from a long-term knee injury.
The 20-year-old has been out since May 2022 when he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in training.
He re-ruptured the knee ligament last December and after having surgery last winter had been making his way back to full fitness.
"It's not good, he's going to be out for a considerable amount of time," manager Liam Manning said.
"He's had a big setback so unfortunately we won't be seeing him for quite a while."
Benarous progressed through the Robins' academy and had made 12 first-team appearances for the club before the injury. He has a contract until 2025.
Defender Rob Atkinson - who has also been out since February due to a ruptured ACL - has seen his return to the squad pushed back due to further injury.
Atkinson recently played for Bristol City's under-21 side but is expected to be out for a few more weeks.
"Unfortunately he's had a little bit of a setback, so he's going to be out for not a crazy amount of time but he's just been set back a little bit so we're going to miss him for a few weeks," Manning told BBC Radio Bristol.
"It's disappointing, it's frustrating because he obviously looked terrific in that first half that he played but that's sometimes the case when you've been out for such a long period of time and you come back in, you tend to pick up a slight twinge somewhere else. It's nothing major."