I CAN’T POLICE MY PLAYERS... THEY ARE MEN NOT CHILDREN

Pep defends Aguero after his big night out went wrong

PEP GUARDIOLA says he cannot police his players after Sergio Aguero’s car accident which left the City striker with a broken rib.

Aguero is facing up to a month on the sidelines after the taxi in which he was travelling in Amsterdam yesterday crashed into a lampost on the way to the airport. Guardiola said the first he knew of Aguero’s trip abroad – said to be to see Colombian singer Maluma – was when he learned of the accident yesterday morning. But the City coach defended Aguero’s right to be in Amsterdam, insisting he cannot keep his players under lock and key when they have a day off. Asked if Aguero has his permission to be abroad so close to a big game, Guardiola said: “Day off. I’m not the police. I only knew about the accident this morning when I woke up.

“I don’t want to know what my players do. If they’re fathers, they have responsibility on and off the pitch. They know what they have to do.

“I have a private life, a family, there are rules and ways to live and that’s all. They have to be happy. I want the players to be happy. They have to rest mentally and physically and they have to enjoy their lives.

“If Sergio decides to go there, that’s OK with me. The taxi driver didn’t see the curve and the post.

“Sergio didn’t drive. I know a player who got injured by a broken glass in the kitchen and cut his finger – he was out two months. There. Life is life.”

Although Aguero would not have arrived back in Manchester until the early hours of yesterday – just 36 hours before the clash with Chelsea – Guardiola claimed that was not an issue for him.

“He’s strong enough,” said Guardiola. “He travelled in a private jet, so no problem. Our players’ physical condition is top, they work amazingly. Our athletic preparation is perfect. We trained at 11am, not 8am, so he had time to rest.

“I don’t know what the supporters think. Some of them can be upset, some not. It’s fortunate the injury isn’t bad, he’s healthy, he’s alive. The most important thing is he’s OK. After that he’s mature enough to know exactly what he has to do. But should he apologise to me? No.”

Aguero has joined defender Benjamin Mendy – out for virtually the rest of the season with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament – on City’s injured list. Mendy (left) had surgery in Barcelona yesterday, with Guardiola confirming the £52million defender will be out until at least April.

“I’d like to play with Sergio because we’re strong with him, but he’s not there,” he said.

“You must overcome these situations if you want to become a team that others consider big.”