The 25-year-old lasted just 18 minutes of his debut before being stretchered off following a challenge with Luka Modric, and the extent of the injury will become known in 48 hours
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini could be without new signing Fabian Delph when the club kick off their Premier League campaign against West Brom on August 10.
Delph suffered a hamstring injury in the 4-1 pre-season defeat to Real Madrid in front of a record-breaking football crowd of 99,382 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.
The former Aston Villa man was handed his City debut by Pellegrini but lasted just 18 minutes before being stretchered off, and he is now a doubt for the clash at the Hawthorns in just over two weeks' time.
“Unfortunately Fabian has a problem with his hamstring,” Pellegrini said after his side's comprehensive pre-season defeat.
“It would have been useful for him to play 45 minutes. This injury is not the best news as he is just starting with our team but we’ll see tomorrow. We’ll have a clearer diagnostic tomorrow or in 48 hours but for the moment we know it’s a problem with his hamstring.”
The 25-year-old, who had initially spurned a move to the Etihad Stadium and committed his future to Villa before performing a controversial u-turn, was forced off with the game still goalless in Melbourne.
Two goals in the space of five minutes for Madrid, moments after Delph's departure, left City in disarray, but Pellegrini dismissed suggestions the capitulation was down to the forced substitution.
“I think Fabian is a very important player and he was working well on the left side, but I think at that moment it was a very close game.
“After that I think it was probably more because of our weak defence.”
Delph will be properly assessed by club doctors in the next 48 hours, with City due to depart Australia and arrive in Vietnam for the next leg of their pre-season tour.
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