Manchester City defender Eliaquim Mangala could miss the rest of the season due to an injury.

The Frenchman joined Everton on loan during the January transfer window. Mangala was taken off during Everton’s 3-1 win over Palace and Sam Allardyce has confirmed that the player will be sidelined for a while now.

He said: “Mangala, particularly, looks like its long-term, which is a great shame for him and for us as I think he was a very good addition to us.”

As per the reports, Mangala might have damaged his knee ligaments.

The former Porto star has been a squad player at Manchester City ever since he joined them. He would have expected to kick-start his career with a loan move to Everton but the injury has come at the worst time. With the World Cup coming up, Mangala would have been looking to play week in week out.

It will be interesting to see whether Everton keep the player until the end of the season now. Often clubs have terminated loan deals following long-term injuries.

Everton signed Mangala to add some depth to their defence and the Toffees will be disappointed with the situation.