CITY Mendy: Cancer patient inspired my comeback

BENJAMIN Mendy says he was able to put the seriousness of his knee injury into context after being placed in a bed beside a patient suffering from cancer.

The City left-back missed the majority of the record-breaking Premier League season after suffering a serious knee injury against Crystal Palace in September.

Despite the severity of his own injury the 23-year-old believes he was able to put the true extent of the injury into perspective after seeing other patients suffer from their own ‘far more serious’ conditions.

He said: “When I was in Barcelona, the patient next to me, a Spaniard, was diagnosed with cancer.

“We found out two days later he was dying.

“I told myself: ‘What’s up with my knee, it’s nothing.’ I think that helped with my recovery.

“When you’ve hurt your knee or your ligaments, it’s nothing at all compared to folk who suffer things that are far more serious.”

Since returning from injury, Mendy (right) featured three more times in the Premier League but his displays were enough to convince Dider Deschamps to grant him a place in the France World Cup squad. Mendy will be dreaming of success in Russia this summer, and believes his side have what it takes to win the tournament. “The goal is victory. The French team must win this cup,” he said. “With the team we have, there is no reason not to go all the way. “People can ask questions. I respect that, but I had to make sacrifices. I stayed serious and did some work. “I’ll be ready for the World Cup. Everything has been set up for my return. It’s going to be OK.”