Pep Guardiola Updates Mendy's Injury Timeline, Confirms Aguero Car Crash
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has addressed the fitness issues surrounding Benjamin Mendy and Sergio Aguero ahead of Saturday evening's clash with Chelsea, after the pair suffered knee ligament damage and broken ribs respectively.
Mendy had been in fine form following his £52m summer move from Monaco, a world record for a defender, but ruptured knee ligaments during last weekend's 5-0 win over Crystal Palace.
Speaking to the media on Friday, Guardiola confirmed that the Frenchman was to imminently undergo surgery in Barcelona and offered an estimated recovery period of around seven months.
"Mendy will be operated on this afternoon in Barcelona and will be out until the time of the semifinal of the Champions League," the manager explained.
As for Aguero, who was involved in a car accident in Amsterdam on Thursday night when the taxi he was travelling in collided with a post, Guardiola confirmed that broken ribs is the likely diagnosis as initially expected.
"Aguero has had an accident in Amsterdam and he will be back after that. I am not a doctor. He will come back and recover as soon as possible," Pep said.
Having been busy with the rest of the team, Guardiola explained that he is yet to speak with Aguero, who has been in fine this season after scoring six Premier League goals, but will do soon enough.
"I will speak to him today. First impression is he has broken his rib," he commented.
Guardiola also addressed the criticism that has emerged over why Aguero was given a day off just two days before a crucial game against a title rival, and why he used it to travel to Amsterdam where he saw Colombian singer Maluma in concert.
"Day off is to be happy," Guardiola said. "I am a trainer who doesn't want to train [the players] every day because they need to rest, mentally and physically."
