City’s talisman winger has not played since coming off during the first leg of the UEFA quarter-final Cup tie in Hamburg last month and constant painful setbacks have continued to hamper his recovery.
Manager Mark Hughes said: “Shaun trained earlier in the week but he got a reaction so he’ll have to see a specialist. He’s obviously not available at the weekend and he may well have to have a wash-out of his knee in the close season. He needs to have it as soon as possible. That will enable him to start pre-season.”
While the news is a blow to City fans among a bumper Sunday crowd hoping to wish one of their heroes well for the summer, it is also a concern for England manager Fabio Capello and his World Cup qualifying campaign.
England face the tricky trip to Kazakhstan on June 6 with a more routine date against Andorra in midweek.
Hughes added: “It’s a shame for Shaun, he’s worked really hard but he keeps on getting a bit of swelling any time he does any physical work. There’s obviously some irritation in the knee that needs to be addressed.”
Newly-elected Player of the Year Stephen Ireland and Micah Richards, both victims of gastric flu in midweek, are on the way to recovery and expected to be in the line-up for the City of Manchester Stadium sign-off game.
The Blues boss said: “Stevie’s OK and Micah feels a lot better than he did yesterday so they should be available. John Webb, our fitness guy, was the only other one to catch it. We isolated them quickly.”
