By RYAN TOLMICH

With no cup match on the schedule, Manchester City took the opportunity to participate in a friendly with Hamburg in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. While the game gave Man City a chance to face an unfamiliar opponent, it may have cost the Premier League champions one of their most effective players.

Frank Lampard was removed from the game after just 20 minutes in what manager Manuel Pellegrini called “a precaution.” Lampard’s ailment is reportedly a hip injury sustained in warmups, leading to the midfielder’s early removal in favor of Scott Sinclair.

Man City went on to win the matchup, 2-0, behind goals from Stefan Jovetic and Edin Dzeko.

Although Man City faces an FA Cup matchup with Middlesbrough on Saturday, the club took the chance to partake in a five-day warm-weather training camp, headlined by Wednesday’s friendly.  Following Saturday’s match, Man City’s next league game will be a personal one for Lampard, as the club takes on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Jan. 31.

Lampard is slated to join New York City FC this summer, and while this latest injury shouldn’t keep him from arriving in MLS, it does heighten concerns about the injury risks he is facing before arriving stateside this summer.

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What do you make of Lampard’s injury? Any concerns? Expect him to feature in the coming games?

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