Negredo out for several months with broken foot

Reuters

21 July 2014 at 6:26 am

Manchester City's Alvaro Negredo gestures during their English FA Cup quarter final soccer match against Wigan Athletic at the Etihad stadium in Manchester, northern England March 9, 2014. REUTERS/Phil Noble

LONDON (Reuters) - Manchester City striker Alvaro Negredo will miss the start of the new season and be sidelined for several months after breaking his foot in the Premier League champions' 2-1 pre-season win over Hearts in Edinburgh on Friday.

The 28-year-old Spain international, who did not go to the World Cup, said on Monday he had broken a metatarsal in his right foot.

"I want to let you know that its going to be hard for the next few months, I fractured my fifth metatarsal and will be out a few months," Negredo wrote on his Instagram account.

He also posted a photo of himself wearing a protective boot.

"I will be back stronger than ever. I will return with a vengeance," he added.

Negro scored 23 goals in the first 33 games he played for City in all competitions last season, but did not find the net in his last 16 matches.

(Reporting by Mike Collett, editing by Ed Osmond)