Pep Guardiola said Manchester City are missing Sergio Aguero as the Argentine's fitness struggles continue.
City's coach had already decided that Aguero would not start the Manchester derby despite him scoring on his return off the bench against Marseille in midweek because of the Argentine's longstanding issues; he has only started three games this season and has had a few premature returns trying to shake off a serious knee issue that kept him out for five months.
Having trained well after the Marseille game, Aguero was then struck down with gastroenteritis on Friday that left the manager with no option but to leave him out of the squad for the Old Trafford trip and the team failed to convert a number of good chances without him to leave them with a 0-0 draw that sees them still behind United after 11 games.
"We miss Sergio, but for the last six months, not just today, he’s been injured a long time.," said Guardiola
"He’s still not played a lot of minutes and there are other players working hard, one step at a time. Today he had a problem with his stomach, he couldn't make a training session. He is at home.
"Of course we miss Sergio, he’s the best striker on Man City history, but he’s more than five months injured and in the short term we are without him."
