Mario Balotelli looks set to miss Manchester City’s next match after a minor operation on his eyes. Balotelli, 22, returned to Italy for laser-eye surgery which he required after suffering from conjunctivitis, an ailment he developed from wearing contact lenses. The striker’s surgeon was quoted as saying he could return “in around 10 days”, a deadline which would see the Italian struggling to be fit for his side’s trip to the Britannia Stadium to face Stoke City. “He had a few problems with contact lenses some years ago,” surgeon Emanuele Scuri told Sky Sport Italia. “We waited for the defect to stabilise over the last four years and this was the right time to have the operation. “His eyes did not tolerate the contact lenses and had problems at the start of the season. “I think in around 10 days he should be ready to play again. Already this morning he asked if he could drive and I suggested he should get a lift until Thursday. “We brought the operation forward by a day to avoid paparazzi. This surgery will enable Balotelli to see very well.” City scheduled the operation to coincide with the international break to minimise the number of games he would potentially miss for the club, although the operation has ruled him out of his country’s two World Cup qualifiers against Bulgaria and Malta.