MX23RW : Sunday, February 16 20:21:48| >> :60:190:190:

Pep Guardiola admits Man City may not replace Sergio Aguero

Pep Guardiola admits Man City may not replace Sergio Aguero
© Reuters
The 32-year-old striker has scored 257 goals for the club.

Pep Guardiola has suggested Manchester City may not look to sign a direct replacement for record goalscorer Sergio Aguero next season.

City announced earlier this week that striker Aguero, who has scored 257 goals for the club, will leave the Etihad Stadium when his contract expires at the end of the season.

City have been linked with Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe but Guardiola is not sure such targets are realistic.

Guardiola said: "There is a lot of big chances that maybe we are not going to sign a striker for next season.

"We have enough players in the first team right now and we have interesting players in the academy.

"There is a big chance, with the situation in the world, the economic problems in world football, we are not going to sign any striker for next season."

Guardiola admits the club's decision not to renew terms with Aguero, 32, was a tough one.

Aguero has scored 257 goals in 10 years at City
Sergio Aguero has scored 257 goals in 10 years at City (Nick Potts/PA)

He said: "We know how important a player he is in the present and was in the past. These decisions are never easy.

"Maybe we could find a new player to replace Sergio in terms of numbers but it is almost impossible to replace him in terms of what he means to this club."

One in-form striker Premier League leaders City are set to come up against as they travel to Leicester on Saturday is their former player Kelechi Iheanacho.

The Nigerian, who left City in 2017, has scored seven goals in his last four games for Brendan Rodgers' Foxes.

Former City striker Kelechi Iheanacho is in good form for Leicester
Former City striker Kelechi Iheanacho is in good form for Leicester (Lindsey Parnaby/PA)

Guardiola said: "Incredible. The quality was there. He was a young player here and I think with Gabriel (Jesus) we didn't have enough space.

"He is a fantastic person, we had a good relationship, and I'm glad to see him playing well."

Guardiola has reported no fresh injuries ahead of his quadruple-chasing side's trip to the King Power Stadium but not all players away on international duty have yet rejoined the squad.

He said: "There are six, seven, eight players we didn't see. They were not allowed to come into the bubble for the test. Today we will make the training session and are going to decide the team and see how the players have come back from the international break."

ID:441567: cacheID:441567:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:6755:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Arsenal players celebrate scoring against Liverpool on September 28, 2020
Read Next:
Premier League gameweek 30 predictions including Arsenal vs. Liverpool
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool25186160243660
2Arsenal25158251222953
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest25145641291247
4Manchester CityMan City25135752351744
5Bournemouth25127644291543
6Chelsea25127647341343
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2512584233941
8Fulham2510963833539
9Aston Villa2510873538-338
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2591063838037
11Brentford25104114342134
12Tottenham HotspurSpurs25931349371230
13Crystal Palace257992932-330
14Everton257992731-430
15Manchester UnitedMan Utd2585122835-729
16West Ham UnitedWest Ham2576122947-1827
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2554163554-1919
18Ipswich TownIpswich2538142350-2717
19Leicester CityLeicester2545162555-3017
20Southampton2523201957-389


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!