MANCHESTER CITY will be without Mario Balotelli for a month after the striker undergoes eye surgery next week.
Balotelli, 22, required contact lenses to cure his short sight, but allergies have forced him to stop wearing them.
The Italian international is now due to have laser treatment in Brescia and is likely to be sidelined for the Premier League games against Stoke, Arsenal, Fulham and Sunderland.
He will also miss City’s Champions League clashes with Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund — leaving boss Roberto Mancini short of options up front.
Mancini said: “Mario can’t bear to wear contact lenses any more. The operation can’t be put off any longer.”
Balotelli opted for surgery after his contact lenses led to him suffering conjunctivitis.
