The Blues' left-back suffered a twinge in training last week which had made him a slight doubt for Sunday's trip to Sunderland.
He was declared fit to play, but when manager Roberto Mancini decided to shuffle his team after going 1-0 down, he decided to sacrifice Bridge to avoid aggravating the injury.
City's medical staff decided on Monday that surgery was required, and the 29-year-old went under the knife yesterday.
He will be out for a minimum of two weeks, meaning he misses Sunday's trip to Fulham and successive home games against Everton and Wigan.
Mancini will now turn to either Javier Garrido, who has been given a new lease of life after the Italian took over as manager, or Sylvinho.
Garrido appeared to be heading out of the exit door in the winter transfer window, his only glimpses of the first team under Mark Hughes coming with three stints on the subs' bench in September.
But he figured in eight out of the first nine games under Mancini, with Bridge suffering from a knee problem.
Since Bridge's return he has again taken a back-seat, but is likely to get the nod ahead of Sylvinho.
Meanwhile, Vincent Kompany has been voted City's player of the month for February. The big Belgian defender was ahead of Craig Bellamy and Bridge.
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Welcome to Manchester, a scum free city since 1910, Manchester (17/03/2010 at 09:01)
Maybe RM will put Zabaleta at LB and play Vieira in midfield???
adders, Co.Cavan ex Manchester (17/03/2010 at 09:15)
Off this topic but I was reading this morning of the very sad situation in which former City player Colin Hendry now finds himself. Having lost his wife because of botched operations and being left to raise their four children alone, he is now heavily in debt as a consequence of devoting his life to his ailing wife and therefore being unable to work. A friend, who was one of the coffin-bearers, lent him £85,000 before Colin`s wife died and is now taking legal action for its repayment as he needs the money to fund his retirement.
With all the money in football, surely players/clubs can do something to help this man? I don`t know from the article in today`s Daily Mail what other debts Colin Hendry has but this particular loan now being reluctantly chased through legal channels by his friend, is a meagre sum to most of today`s players. Colin missed out on much of the lucrative financial rewards, only apparently earning high wages during the latter part of his playing career. I`m sure,like me, most City fans will remember him as a good, honest player and, having spoken briefly to him once outside Maine Road, my instinct tells me he is a decent man, confirmed by the way he looked after his wife. Where`s the Player`s Benevolent Society (if such a thing exists) when you it`s needed?
Blue Jazzman, Marple (17/03/2010 at 09:26)
With Bridge out, and Viera available again, I guess that Zab will get the nod at left back Having a right footed left back against Fulham will work given Duff’s inclination to come in from the right onto his left foot at every opportunity
This will enable De Jong and Barry to share the protective role in front of the back four, allowing Viera to be a .little bit in front of them, centrally, to be their outlet and the central link with the front three. This means that Paddy’s lack of legs will not be exposed as he would be if he was playing “box to box”
Instead he will be “just in side our own half to box”
I think the time may have come to replace Micah with Toure at right back
Mancini’s favoured style allows the opposition to come at us and in the course of an away match he inevitably gets caught out positionally at least once, often more
The SWP / AJ option is delicately balanced
Whichever one starts seems to blow it and whichever one comes on as sub seems to play better than the one that started
Away from home SWP just shaves it for me because of his ability to break and his extra defensive clout, but at home I would start with AJ
So my team for Fulham would be;
Given, Toure, Kompany, Lescott, Zab;
De Jong, Barry;
Viera;
SWP, Tevez, Bellers
My team for Everton, would be the same but with AJ on the right wing
John Gidman's curly perm, Manchester (17/03/2010 at 09:49)
The KOMPANY/LESCOTT pairing seems to be working the best at the back so i wouldn't change these two around but i believe both full back positions are still to up for grabs and RICHARDS was again found wanting on the right.
My back four for Fulham..... TOURE / KOMPANY / LESCOTT / ZABALETA
I believe that RM is going to have a busy closed season with the defensive squad being his main priority with at least 4 or 5 first team squad players being below the required standard we need to push on.
Blue Jazzman, Marple (17/03/2010 at 10:07)
My son was mascot at Howard Kendall's first home match in charge and we discovered a picture the other day of my lad with Steve Redmond, Trevor Morley and Colin Hendry. It made me wonder how he was going on
In the past, the club has run a function for Neil Young who fell on hard times, and current and past players and fans were able to do their bit in support.
I wonder if this could be repeated for CH
Blue Moon..., Manchester (17/03/2010 at 10:09)
vieira should never play for us again
Blue Moon..., Manchester (17/03/2010 at 10:11)
how can you start vieira?... what have you seen in him?
negative playing with 3 defensive midfielders and its doing us no favours.
get ireland on instead all day over vieira, he should be a coach not a player.
mark jones (17/03/2010 at 10:25)
Ed the Duck, Manchester (17/03/2010 at 13:05)
Well said about a Players Benevolent Society - if the Advertising Industry can do it (NABS) I can't see why the PFA couldn't organise something. A relatively small weekly contribution across just the first team squads in the PL would raise a significant amount over the course of a year. It may also make them think 'there for the grace of God...".
Keep your chin up Bridgey.
CTID
MCFC.OK, manchester (17/03/2010 at 13:30)
Make sure Toure is on the bus to london, but also make sure that he doesn't get the bus back to Manchester !
It's a Manc(ini) thing (formerly the Foam Ranger), Bolton (17/03/2010 at 19:52)
Andrew Shaw (17/03/2010 at 23:54)
Citizen Smith!, Ardwick (18/03/2010 at 00:43)
Bobby Johnstone's left kneecap, Hong Kong (18/03/2010 at 03:15)
On the subject of this article, I think we could well miss Bridge over the coming games. I would be tempted to give young Cunningham a game just to see how he goes, and have an experienced full-back on the bench as a 'long-stop' in case things do not work out. It would, in my opinion, be foolish to break up the Kompany/Lescott central partnership. It really has been coming good for us. I, too, would select Kolo Toure at right back, in preference to Micah Richards. Although Gareth Barry could do a job for us at LB (he did start his career as a FB) I think he is not fast enough now for that position. We really must get a win at Fulham - their game against Juventus should help us - we will be their third opponents in a week!
on me 'ed, dukinfield (18/03/2010 at 08:03)
vieira should never play for us again
Blue Moon..., Manchester
17/03/2010 at 10:09
Zab for left back, fair enough, but the rest of Blue Moon's post is absolute garbage. He obviously knows naff all about football.
Andrew Shaw (18/03/2010 at 11:17)
18/03/2010 at 00:43
Too much information!
Raziola, Sport City (18/03/2010 at 11:25)
Given
Zabaletta
Kompany
Lescott
Barry
De Jong
SWP (last chance)
Ireland
Johson
Bellamy
Tevez
If SWP does not perform then Ade comes back in after his ban and Johnson moves right with Bellers on the left