Alex Greenwood: Manchester City captain’s injury ‘not as serious’ as first feared

Manchester City captain Alex Greenwood’s knee injury is “not as serious as feared” manager Gareth Taylor has confirmed.

England international defender Greenwood was carried off on a stretcher after receiving treatment on the pitch in the first half of Thursday’s Champions League win over St Polten.

The 31-year-old looked in considerable discomfort and immediately went to ground after an awkward challenge with opposition forward Melanie Brunnthaler.

Ahead of City’s Women’s Super League match at Everton on Sunday, Taylor told BBC Sport: “I think it’s not as serious as everyone feared, obviously with Alex being stretchered off.

“We’re still awaiting conversation with the consultant just to find out exactly what the timeframe looks like.

“Alex is good, I saw her on Friday and she was feeling a little bit sore, obviously, but she’s fine.”

Former City captain Steph Houghton said she had spoken with ex-team-mate Greenwood and added: “She’s doing ok. You know what she’s like, she’ll be absolutely devastated to be missing football games, but the main thing is she’s positive.

“She’s in a lot of pain now but at the same time she is just looking forward to getting back on the recovery.”

However, Taylor said Greenwood’s absence would make things “really difficult” for City, who are without a number of injured key players.

“She has been crucial to what we have done not just this season but seasons past,” he added.

Vivianne Miedema and Lauren Hemp are currently sidelined with long-term knee injuries and Taylor said forward Khadija Shaw won’t return until after the winter break.

City’s top scorer Shaw, who has scored nine goals in nine league games this season, has missed the last two games with a lower leg issue and Taylor said she has been to see a specialist.

“She needs more extensive investigation,” he said. “Similar to Alex, we are waiting for more medical information before we can hatch a plan.”