AGUERO COULD FACE BAN AFTER HAMMERS ELBOW
But Pep claims he didn’t see it
MANCHESTER – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was relaxed about the possibility of losing star forward Sergio Aguero to suspension after television footage appeared to show him elbowing West Ham United’s Winston Reid on Sunday.
Aguero could face retrospective action by the Football Association, and suspension, if the incident in City’s 3-1 Premier League win is judged to have been deliberate.
That would rule him out of City’s next game, the eagerlyawaited derby away to Manchester United at Old Trafford on September 10.
“I didn’t see it,” said Guardiola of the incident at Eastlands following a win that left City top of the table on goal difference.
“I am new here so I don’t know how it works,” the Spaniard added.
“Hopefully nothing happens. If it happens, we accept and adapt. If we lose him, we lose him. We are going to play with 11.”
Two goals from Raheem Sterling and one from Fernandinho clinched a fifth win in as many league and cup games under Guardiola’s management.
However, for all the changes former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss Guardiola has made at his new club in less than two months, the form of Sterling has been most startling after a difficult debut season with the club and a terrible European Championship campaign with England in France.
The game also offered a rare chance for Samir Nasri, who appeared to be surplus to requirements under City’s new management, to come on as a substitute and make an impact against West Ham.
Should City be without Aguero for the derby game, there is consolation in the fact that they will have three big pre-season signings – Leroy Sane, Ilkay Gundogan and goalkeeper Claudio Bravo – available for selection in their first meeting of the season with Jose Mourinho’s club.
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic had no complaints about Aguero’s alleged elbow on Reid, saying he did not see the incident. –