Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte's knee injury could have been a whole lot worse.
The Frenchman - who has blossomed into a key player under Pep Guardiola - was taken off on a stretcher against Brighton and scans later revealed he would require surgery on his knee.
Guardiola confirmed the defender would be missing for a number of months while he recovered, leaving City short on defensive options.
The Citizens have struggled in his absence, losing against both Norwich and Wolves, with Nicolas Otamendi leaving fans fuming with his performances.
While losing Laporte until the New Year is a massive blow, the problem could have been much much worse according to Dr. Rajpal Brar, DPT, owner of 3CBPerformance.
The sports injury professional explained it's likely, given Guardiola's timeline for his return, that Laporte underwent surgery to repair his meniscus, rather than removing the damaged cartilidge.
Repairing the meniscus, rather than removal, is only possible when there is blood flow meaning it wouldn't be possible had it occurred in a different area of the knee.
Brar believes Laporte was extremely fortunate to be able to have his injury repaired, as it should allow him to return with little complications.
"Laporte is extremely fortunate that his tear is repairable," he said in his YouTube video explaining the injury.
"Lateral meniscal tears that require removal are very concerning injuries because they often lead to arthritic changes in less than five years.
"Compared to medial menisectomies, those changes can take as long as 30 years to manifest."
He added that research suggests the meniscus tear repairs usually results in good outcomes for the athlete.
Brar said: "Research on meniscal repairs shows that repairs result in very good outcomes with athletes typically returning to high level function without any significant long-term changes at the knee."
