Manchester City left-back Benjamin Mendy has been suspended by the club after being accused of rape on Thursday. In addition, Chesire Police have confirmed that the Frenchman has been charged with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.
On the other hand, the Sky Blues have issued an official statement on the matter as they said :
"The matter is subject to a legal process and the Club is therefore unable to make further comment until that process is complete."
For now, it simply means that the French defender will not take part in the club’s upcoming clash against Arsenal on Saturday. Mendy’s absence will not affect Guardiola’s preparations for the game as the Spaniard has better options on the bench in the form of Joao Cancelo and Oleksandr Zincheko.
The 2018 World Cup winner was handed a start in the season opener against Tottenham Hotspur. Unfortunately, the French international had a poor game against the Lilywhites and hence was immediately dropped to the bench for the next game against Norwich City.
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In fact, this could well be another setback for the former Monaco man as his hopes of regaining his place in a settled City XI seem to have taken a massive hit.
The 27-year-old left-back had a tough time at the Etihad last season as he was often spotted warming the benches, and had failed to make an impact for his side in their title-winning campaign.
There have also been rumours that the Citizens were planning to sell the left-back this summer. However, for now, it seems that the club has decided to retain the defender for the ongoing season and hence might consider a possible sale after the end of this season.
Currently, Mendy has a contract with the Sky Blues which will see him stay at the club till the summer of 2023. It remains to be seen whether the Premier League giants decide to renew his contract next summer or not.