Distin - We must move on

Manchester City skipper Sylvain Distin claims there is no point ‘crying’ over Richard Dunne’s self-inflicted three-month injury absence.

Distin’s rock-solid central defensive partnership with Dunne has been ripped apart following confirmation that the Republic of Ireland defender cracked a bone in his foot when he kicked a wall in frustration after his Thailand fracas with Joey Barton.

While Barton has found himself involved in an even more dire situation, making a public broadcast urging his brother Michael to report to Merseyside Police for questioning in connection with the murder of Anthony Walker in Huyton last Friday, the Blues squad are now coming to terms with the prolonged absence of one their most influential players for a totally avoidable reason.

But rather than reflect on the fall-out from the disastrous night in a Bangkok bar, Distin feels his team-mates should forget about their problems and get on with the job of collecting Premiership points over the next few weeks.

“Of course it is a disappointment but are we going to sit here and cry, or are we going to do something else,” Distin told www.mcfc.co.uk

“One man doesn’t make a football team and it is up to the rest of us to carry on and do our best.”

An obvious replacement, teenage starlet Nedum Onuoha has not yet recovered from a hamstring injury, while another, David Sommeil, has not made a Premiership start since January 2004.

The lack of cover could force manager Stuart Pearce into the transfer market ahead of the seasonal opener against West Brom on August 13, although he will find a partner for Distin from his current squad for Saturday’s Thomas Cook Trophy encounter with Olympiacos at Eastlands.

“Richard is very disappointed because he wants to play,” said Pearce.

“He was in blinding form for us last season, a massive player, but we can’t do much about it now.

“It’s a big loss but we just have to move on.”

Pearce’s injury problems are mounting ahead of the eagerly-awaited Baggies clash.

Robbie Fowler, Nicky Weaver and Antoine Sibierski are all currently sidelined, although City have received some good news as Chinese full-back Sun Jihai appears unlikely to miss the start of the season after all following his red card in Saturday’s friendly at Stoke.

Sun Jihai was dismissed for a professional foul at the Britannia Stadium, but Football Association rules now mean that incidents which would normally result in an automatic one-match suspension, such as denying clear goalscoring opportunities, do not result in first-team bans if they occur in friendly matches.

It leaves Sun available for the West Brom game, while Barton will be providing evidence that indicates to Pearce the latest trauma has not affected his mental state.

The City boss put Barton on a lifestyle coaching course in an effort to curb his notoriously fragile temper but it is expected the former England Under-21 star will be in Pearce’s squad for the Olympiacos encounter.