Pep Guardiola has revealed club doctors warned him top scorer Sergio Aguero could be ruled out until January if he aggravated a muscle injury during Manchester City's weekend win against Bournemouth.
The Argentina international sat out the 3-1 win at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday and looks doubtful for this week's Premier League games against Watford and Chelsea.
In what is a busy December for City, Guardiola's men also face Hoffenheim in the Uefa Champions League, followed by by league games against Everton, Crystal Palace, Leicester City and Southampton. There is also a League Cup quarter-final against Leicester City on December 18.
"The doctors told me [on Friday] Sergio cannot play," Guardiola said. "If he plays, maybe it's four or five weeks off. In that situation, this month, with a lot of games, he was not safe."
City's all-time top scorer appears unlikely to make the trip to Vicarage Road on Tuesday or Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
"Right now, I'm not quite sure," Guardiola said when asked about the availability of Aguero, whose eight Premier League goals this term sees him sit two behind top scorer Piere-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal.
"I speak with the doctors every day, they make a report and a briefing," Guardiola added. "They say 'ready' or 'not ready' and we decide."
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Gabriel Jesus started against Bournemouth in Aguero's absence but was unable to add to his single league goal so far this season for the Premier League pacesetters.
Aguero's form has limited Jesus' playing time recently but the 21-year-old Brazilian said he was ready to contribute if needed following his own injury concerns, which saw him miss last week's Champions League win over Lyon. Aguero's late equaliser in a 2-2 draw against the French club ensured City secured their place in the last 16 of Europe's premier competition.
"I've been training really hard, maybe that's why I felt something in my groin last week," Jesus said. "Unfortunately I was out of the Champions League match that I really wanted to play.
"I always make it clear for Pep that I'm here to help the team regardless of how. Obviously that I want to play more minutes, but I respect who is playing at the moment."
Guardiola praised Jesus's all-round contribution against Bournemouth and said he had no concerns over the lack of league goals.
"We just relax," Guardiola said. "It's work, this work ethic he has. Always I said to him when you work like he works on the pitch, always we will sustain him. We will always be there."
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA
Price, base / as tested Dh150,900 / Dh173,600
Engine 2.0L inline four-cylinder
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 211hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 1,200rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
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Thailand: Pokklaw 82'
The specs: 2019 Infiniti QX50
Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 268hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm @ 4,400rpm
Fuel economy: 6.7L / 100km (estimate)
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Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
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Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
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Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
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Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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