LONDON - Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini says attacking midfielder David Silva will be sidelined for "around three weeks" with a knee ligament injury, missing the Manchester derby on Sunday.

Pellegrini says Silva is "a very important player but we have a squad and we will have to replace him with another player."

Silva injured his knee in City's 2-0 loss at home to Newcastle in the League Cup on Wednesday.

As well as missing the game against rival Manchester United, Silva will also be absent for City's fixtures against Bayern Munich and CSKA Moscow in the Champions League.