Man City's Greenwood has 'successful' knee surgery
Alex Greenwood joined Manchester City from Lyon in 2020
- Published
Manchester City captain Alex Greenwood has undergone "successful" knee surgery, the club says.
The 31-year-old was taken off on a stretcher during the first half of City's Champions League win against St Polten last week.
Greenwood looked in considerable discomfort after going to ground following an awkward challenge with St Polten forward Melanie Brunnthaler.
The club initially feared the England defender had suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tear but it turned out the full-back had injured her Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL), which typically has a shorter recovery time.
City have not put a timeframe on Greenwood's return but said she will now return to the club to work closely with the medical team on her recovery.
"Not the ending to 2024 that I had planned," Greenwood wrote on Instagram, accompanied by a photo of her in a hospital bed.
"I will work so hard to be back on the pitch as soon as I can."
Greenwood, capped 96 times by England, has made 16 appearances for City this term.
City are second in the Women's Super League (WSL), six points behind leaders and defending champions Chelsea.
Greenwood injury a blow for club and country
Greenwood's injury is yet another blow for England manager Sarina Wiegman, who has a list of injured players who may not be available for the upcoming Women's Nations League matches in 2025.
February's international window includes a match against world champions Spain at Wembley, as well as a trip to Portugal, and Greenwood is likely to miss that.
It disrupts her preparation for Euro 2025 at a time when Greenwood was trying to stake a claim for a starting place, facing stiff competition from centre-backs Leah Williamson and Millie Bright.
She will hope to be back in time for April's matches against Belgium - just three months before the Euros kick off in Switzerland - but a lack of game time will not help her case.
For Manchester City, it is a significant blow and it means they end the year without Greenwood, Lauren Hemp and Khadija Shaw - all crucial players in their title challenge.