Pep Guardiola hopes that Sergio Aguero will recover from injury in time to say farewell to Manchester City fans on the final day of the Premier League season.
The Argentine striker, who has missed much of the campaign recovering from a knee injury before testing positive for coronavirus, was unavailable for the victory over Newcastle on Friday night.
Aguero, 32, will leave the club at the end of the season on a free transfer and is in a race to be fit for the final home match against Everton, when 10,000 fans are expected at the Etihad Stadium.
What’s been said?
“He has niggles. He’s a little bit disturbed in his leg, his adductor,” Guardiola said ahead of Tuesday night’s trip to Brighton. “He felt something before the Newcastle game. Today he’s still not fit. Hopefully he’ll be ready to play against Everton.”
The City boss also admitted Aguero could be a doubt for the Champions League final against Chelsea if he is unable to prove his fitness.
“If Sergio is fit he is going to help us, that is for sure,” he added. “If he is going to help us score goals he is going to play, but it’s the final of the Champions League.
“I have to take the decision that gives us the best chance of winning that game.”
The bigger picture
Guardiola admits he is facing a selection dilemma for the game against Chelsea, with the rest of his squad now fully fit after Kevin De Bruyne returned to full training.
“This is the toughest moment,” he said. “That is why the relationship between the players and the manager has to have a little bit of distance, because you cannot have too close a relationship when you have to make decisions that [affect their] careers.
“Sometimes I am unfair to them but it is what it is. I don’t have another solution. That is why they are lucky to find a manager who rotates a lot.”
While he has settled on a successful line-up in recent months, playing without an orthodox striker, Guardiola says he has not decided on his team to play in Portugal.
“Right now I am not clear on the way we are going to play and with [which players] we are going to play, so that’s why I have to take a look over these 10-11 days and after that we have to make the decision,” he said.
Further reading:
- Mahrez: I want to finish my career at Man City
- Messi advised to consider Man City, Bayern or PSG moves
- Man City set all-time record for away wins
