Report: Antonio Valencia could be out 5 months

Antonio Valencia is reportedly facing a prolonged road to recovery.

The Guardian, picking up on a report from The Sun, writes that the Manchester United winger could be out of commission for five months after undergoing surgery on his left foot.

Related: Antonio Valencia undergoes operation on left foot

Valencia sustained the injury in the first half of last month's Manchester derby but didn't exit the pitch until the 81st minute, when he was replaced by Matteo Darmian.

The Sun reports that the product of Club Deportivo El Nacional didn't realise how serious the problem was and may have made it worse by playing through the pain.

Assuming Valencia is out for exactly five months, he would return when United has only five fixtures remaining in the Premier League season. Meanwhile, at the international level, he would be unable to feature for Ecuador's national team in March, when La Tri is scheduled to host Paraguay and visit Colombia in 2018 World Cup qualifying.