MANCHESTER, England (REUTERS) - Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva is unavailable for Saturday's Premier League match at West Ham United after sustaining an injury on international duty, manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday (Nov 23).

The Portugal playmaker missed his country's 1-1 Nations League draw with Poland on Tuesday and is also doubtful for City's Champions League trip to French side Olympique Lyonnais next week.

Silva has emerged as a key player for City in the absence of midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, who is nursing a knee injury.

"Bernardo cannot play this weekend, it's not too big (an injury) but this game no... I don't know if he will be ready next Tuesday," Guardiola told a news conference.

Defender Benjamin Mendy will miss the remainder of the year after undergoing surgery on his left knee in Barcelona.

The injury-plagued Frenchman missed the majority of last season with a ruptured cruciate ligament in his right knee and has also been battling a foot injury in this campaign.

"Mendy is 10 to 12 weeks... Nicolas Otamendi is back in training and everybody else is OK," Guardiola added.

Guardiola backed West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini, saying his predecessor at City had the experience to do well at West Ham, who have finished in the bottom half of the table in the last two seasons.

West Ham started the campaign poorly under former Villarreal, Real Madrid and Malaga manager Pellegrini but are on an unbeaten run of three games to sit 13th in the league coming into the match at the London Stadium.

"His (Pellegrini's) career speaks for itself... even if you are blind you can recognise his style," Guardiola added.

"In Villarreal, he put the team on a different level. At Real Madrid he got 96 points and he was good enough here to win the league and help this club to be where we are right now.

"And he's going to do well at West Ham, where there are many good supporters."