Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has suggested that Sergio Aguero could be out for as many as six weeks.
The in-form Argentine striker injured his knee in the weekend's win over Everton and is not expected until at least January.
It was initially felt that Aguero would be sidelined for four weeks but Pellegrini indicated that the 19-goal ace may miss more time as the club continues to monitor the problem.
When asked by reporters of Aguero's absence and how it would affect his team, Pellegrini responded with: "four, five, maybe six weeks.
"It depends a lot on how he recovers. But our team does not depend on one player."
City are preparing for their must-win Champions League clash with AS Roma in Italy on Wednesday night.
