Guardiola is standing up for injured Aguero after taxi crash
PEP Guardiola insists Sergio Aguero has nothing to apologise for after being injured in a car crash in Holland on his day off.
Manchester City’s prolific Argentinian striker suffered a broken rib in a road accident in Amsterdam on Thursday and is expected to be out for between two and four weeks.
Aguero had been in the Dutch capital for a concert performed by Colombian singer Maluma. He was travelling back to the airport at around 11pm when, he said on Twitter, the taxi he was in “made a wrong turn and crashed against a pole”.
“It was a very heavy slam, but seatbelts prevented it from being worse,” he said.
He was treated in hospital in Amsterdam overnight before being assessed by City doctors on his return to Manchester yesterday.
“Hurts, but I’m fine, fully focused on recovery,” he added.
The issue has raised questions of why Aguero was allowed to travel abroad two days before a big game, but Guardiola has no concerns.
Guardiola (below) said: “I only knew this morning when I woke up. I don’t want to know what my players do.
“If they are fathers, they have a full responsibility on their shoulders on and off the pitch. They know what they have to do.
“He’s strong enough. He travelled in a private jet, so no problem.
“I don’t know what the supporters think. Some of them can be upset, some not, but at the end it’s fortunate the injury is not bad.
“He’s healthy, he’s alive. The most important thing is he’s okay.
“Why should he apologise to me? No.”
Asked if the late night was a problem, Guardiola said: “We trained at 11am not 8am, so he (would have) had enough time to rest.”
It’s understood Aguero is likely to be back in action within a month and could even return in time for the Premier League match at home to Stoke on October 14.
He will definitely miss the league leaders’ trip to champions Chelsea tonight and will also be unavailable for Argentina’s crucial upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Peru and Ecuador.
However, fears he was in line for an extended lay-off appear to have been unfounded and there is the possibility the Stamford Bridge clash could be the only game he misses for City.
The news follows further bad updates on injuries to left-back
Benjamin Mendy and captain Vincent Kompany. Mendy has ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament and is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after undergoing surgery.
Guardiola said: “We can’t replace him in the way he plays, the way he goes up and down. We have to do it in a different way.”
Kompany has missed the last six games with a calf injury and remains out despite being called up for international duty.
Guardiola said: “He is travelling there to make a meeting with the Belgium doctor but he is coming back. Of course he cannot play for Belgium.”
Looking ahead to the Chelsea game, Guardiola said: “We have to overcome these situations.”