Man City will not rush Aguero back, says Guardiola

(Reuters) – Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has trained ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League clash at Olympiakos but the Argentine will not be rushed into action from hamstring and knee issues, manager Pep Guardiola said on Tuesday.

Aguero sustained a hamstring injury in City’s 1-1 Premier League draw at West Ham United last month a week after making his first start of the season following knee surgery.

The 32-year-old was on the bench in City’s 2-0 league defeat by Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday and Guardiola stressed that he was prepared to wait for the striker to return to match fitness.

“Today he trained again. What we want is for him to feel a good feeling in his knee,” Guardiola told a news conference before the team’s departure to Greece.

“I know it’s not his injury but we wait for him and there is still time, we have many games to play and we will need him. We want him in the best condition.”

The Spaniard said almost all his players, including Fernandinho and Benjamin Mendy, were fit for the clash with only Nathan Ake set to start training on Friday after a thigh injury.

City have a perfect record in Group C after three games and Guardiola said Wednesday’s clash offered them the opportunity to return to winning ways and take a step towards the next phase of the competition.

“It’s important… also to recover our feelings. To be able to win games is important. We can leave this competition until February and focus on others, especially the Premier League,” Guardiola added.

“At the same time we know how difficult it is and if we’re able to get results we travel to Porto and then have (Olympique de) Marseille here. One step at a time but at the same time to recover, to come back and create good feelings.”