Sanchez and Aguero set for a face-off with their futures in doubt

SERGIO AGUERO and Alexis Sanchez go head-to-head at the Emirates tomorrow with far more at stake than merely helping their respective teams secure a top-four place.

They have so much in common; both are South American, both 28, both are great goalscorers – and both find their futures under question, for entirely different reasons. Sanchez is stalling on a new deal because he wants to join a club with the ambition and resources to win both at home and abroad, and is clearly not convinced Arsenal can satisfy that hunger. Aguero, on the other hand, is happy with City’s ambition. His problem has been what could be politely termed as creative tension with his manager Pep Guardiola.

He was left out following the arrival of Gabriel Jesus with his workrate, wastefulness in front of goal in some key games plus the lack of discipline that led to him earning two red cards and missing seven games being cited as reasons for his demotion.

Since Jesus’s injury reopened the door, Argentina star Aguero has been a rejuvenated figure with seven goals in eight games and a greater appetite for putting in a shift.

But he still missed crucial chances against Monaco and Liverpool that proved costly, something that Guardiola was quick to point out after both games.

Aguero still wants talks with his manager this summer to see if he will be City’s No1 striker when Jesus returns.

If there is a parting of the ways, and Sanchez refuses to sign a new deal at the Emirates, it will come as no surprise if Guardiola makes a move for the Chile star, whom he signed at Barcelona and pointedly made a big fuss over following City’s win over Arsenal in December.

Significantly, when asked about the merits of the two yesterday, Guardiola, who loves multi-functional players, made a point of praising Sanchez’s versatility.

“Sergio is more of an out-and-out striker than Alexis,” he said. “Alexis can play as a striker – from the beginning of the season he’s played really good – but he can play more roles. He can play on REPORTS both sides. But both are such competitors and so dangerous. They are both top, top players. I was with Alexis in Barcelona, now I’m here with Sergio. I know their qualities.”

Guardiola also appeared to sympathise with Sanchez’s frustrations at Arsenal and with manager Arsene Wenger, who axed him for the recent trip to Liverpool.

“It happens everywhere,” he said. “I’m a big fan of both. But football is like this when the team is not going well. The big players receive more interest from other clubs because they are the stars. It happens with managers, too. The quality is there.

“It doesn’t matter what happens in the season – I’m not talking about Arsenal but in general. What happens with the players in terms of good or bad performances depends on the environment. Why one player is not playing good one season and now he’s playing good can be for many reasons.”

Guardiola regrets not exploiting Sanchez’s qualities to the full after beating City to take him to Barcelona from Udinese for £30million in 2011 but could afford not to with Lionel Messi, David Villa and Pedro at his disposal.

Now at City there may be more room for a player who fits Guardiola’s ideal of a three-pronged attack with a central striker capable of going wide, interchanging with wingers Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling, or dropping deep.

The likely £50m fee for Sanchez would not put City off as they could recoup a similar amount or more for Aguero.

Sanchez, who has only 15 months left on his contract, says: “I want to play for a successful team with a winning mentality. I’m 28 years old, I still have a lot of years ahead of me. I am a player who looks after himself.”

Those are words to warm Guardiola’s heart. And a City win tomorrow will only serve to reinforce Sanchez’s view he needs to move on.