Guedes to be on the sidelines for four to six weeks

Benfica's Portuguese striker Goncalo Guedes will be out for four to six weeks after undergoing successful surgery on his left knee injury, the Lisbon club said.

In a terse statement shared on its website, Benfica said Guedes' operation was carried out "successfully" and by their own medical team.

The length of time he will be on the sidelines was stated by his coach, German coach Roger Schmidt, who said he "will be out for between four and six weeks".

Speaking at the press conference following Sunday's 3-0 win over Maritimo, Schmidt lamented the injury to the 25-year-old, who returned on loan to the club where he trained in January. Guedes "came motivated to play for his club, it's a loan but he quickly fit in, he played good games," he said.

The Portuguese international, a former Valencia player, was injured in a Portuguese league match on 25th February. He returned to the team's bench, but did not play and the medical staff finally opted for surgery.

"He had been having problems with his knee for a few weeks and it got to the point where he couldn't continue," Schmidt said. 

Goncalo Guedes returned to Benfica in January on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he dropped down the pecking order following the arrival of Spanish coach Julen Lopetegui.