Pep Guardiola says he has made his decision on Sergio Aguero’s involvement in the Manchester derby on Saturday.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has ruled out starting Sergio Aguero in Saturday’s derby against United despite his goalscoring return to action in the Champions League.
The Argentine forward came off the bench to score City’s second goal as they wrapped up Group C with a 3-0 win over Marseille on Wednesday night.
It was only the fifth feature for Aguero this season after being troubled by recurring knee and hamstring issues.
Guardiola has said he will not take risks with the 32-year-old and will not be tempted to throw him in from the beginning at Old Trafford.
Asked if Aguero could start the derby, Guardiola simply said, as per Sky Sports: “No.”
On his general performance, he added: “His instinct to score goals will always be there”.
“The important thing is he made a good three or four training sessions and the reaction after the training session was good. He played 25 minutes and scored a goal and was active. Step by step. What is important is how his reaction will be tomorrow after this effort.”
Gabriel Jesus was an unused substitute for the victory over Marseille and could now lead the line for Guardiola’s men in the Manchester derby at the weekend.
