London: Manchester City midfielder Fabian Delph could miss up to nine games for club and country after he pulled up with a hamstring injury during England`s win over Switzerland in a Euro 2016 qualifier on Tuesday, British media reported.
Delph has yet to start for his club since completing a controversial move from Aston Villa due to a hamstring injury he picked up in a pre-season friendly, although he has made two appearances for Manuel Pellegrini`s side off the bench.
The 25-year-old was forced off within the first minute of England`s 2-0 win at Wembley and is expected to miss Champions League ties against Juventus and Borussia Moenchengladbach and a League Cup clash against Sunderland.
He could also miss Premier League matches against Crystal Palace, West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United and England`s remaining Euro 2016 qualifiers against Estonia and Lithuania.
On a more positive note for City, Brazilian midfielder Fernando is closing in on full fitness after recovering from a groin injury that he battled with for most of last season.
The 28-year-old last featured for his club on May 10 and said he needed pain-killing injections before most of his 33 appearances.
"I`ve been working hard to recover. I`m feeling much better now with no pain so I will resume normal training this week and hopefully be available at some point within the next fortnight," Fernando told the club website (www.mcfc.co.uk)
"I can`t wait to get my season finally up and running and being pain free at last will be a huge relief," he added.