Pep: Crazy schedule could harm our players

PEP Guardiola (right) claims football’s “crazy schedule” could “k ill our players” and does not want his resting international stars to return to training too soon.

City are without a number of their star names on their pre-season tour of Asia due to summer commitments in international tournaments.

Sergio Aguero, Nicolas Otamendi, Fernandinho, Ederson and Gabriel Jesus have all been at the Copa America while Riyad Mahrez was playing in the African Cup of Nations, which concluded only last week.

Premier League champions City begin their new season when they face Liverpool in the Community Shield on August 4.

City boss Guardiola said: “Some of them will come on July 29 or 30, others come back August 3 or 4. They decide whether to come back after three or four weeks off.

“I don’t want them to come back if they are not fit, or if they are tired and have still not recovered from a tough season.

“We cannot forget we are starting the season and Mahrez hasn’t finished the previous one.

“It’s a crazy schedule and we’ll kill our players sooner or later, we cannot sustain it.

“They have to rest but if the people want to come back a little bit earlier, they are more than welcome.”

Phil Foden, who was involved with England U21s, missed last week’s Premier League Asia Trophy in China but has joined the squad in Hong Kong this week.

Meanwhile, John Stones is determined to return to his best after a harrowing end to last season.

The Manchester City defender found himself under huge scrutiny after a calamitous error cost England badly in their Uefa Nations League semifinal against Holland in June.

That also came at the end of a period when Stones had largely found himself out of the City starting XI as Guardiola’s side closed in on an unprecedented domestic treble.

Stones said: “I love England and playing for England and it was a difficult time. It was a mistake.

“There were other mistakes in that game that weren’t highlighted as much but that was the pivotal moment I suppose.

“I took some time away in my holidays and reflected.

“I’ve come back this season fighting for my chance to play again and put that right. I’m sure I will because I’ve got that strong mindset of putting things right.

“I held my hands up for that and I told all my teammates and the staff there what I’d done wrong and that we’d move on from that.

“I’ve moved on and I’ll now try to correct that with my performances in the future.”