Manchester City gaffer, Pep Guardiola has admitted that his star man, Sergio Aguero is struggling to play after the death of Argentine great Diego Maradona.
Aguero, who had just returned form a knee injury, came on as a substitute for Gabriel Jesus but was unable to find the net as Man City beat Olympiacos 1-0 in the UEFA Champions League; thanks to Phil Forden’s goal in the 36th minutes.
As City play host to Burnley on Saturday, Guardiola has a admitted that the 32-year-old Argentine forward may not be in the frame of mind to feature for the side due to Maradona’s death.
Maradona was Aguero’s former father-in-law following his marriage to Gianinna, his youngest daughter, and was grandfather to the Manchester City striker’s 11-year-old son, Benjamin.
Guardiola said: “It’s difficult for me to talk about his feelings. The game against Olympiacos was hard.
“Especially for his son, it’s tough. He knew Maradona well and his son, it’s his grandfather. It’s a sad situation for his family, but he’s OK.”
Maradona was there for the birth of his first grandson in 2009. Aguero and Giannina separated in 2012 after four years together.
Aguero had penned an emotional message on social media for Maradona which accompanied a picture of the pair embracing and the deceased winning the World Cup in 1986, Aguero captioned his Twitter post: ‘We are never going to forget you. You will always be with us. #GraciasDiego RIP.’
Guardiola, continuing on Aguero, said: ‘He’s still not in his best condition – his injury was long.
“He needs to be so sharp but we don’t have doubts. He needs a bit of time, training sessions and minutes. He has seven months ahead to show.’
The Spaniard also paid tribute to Maradona in midweek, describing him as one of the ‘few incredible players’ in football history.
He told BT Sport on Wednesday night: ‘First (I think about) Sergio. His son, Diego was his grandfather.
“There was a banner in Argentina which says, “It doesn’t matter what you have done in your life, it matters what you have done in our lives.” Imagine what Maradona would have done in our generation (of football).
“There are few incredible players in our history, he’s one of them. He was someone who made this sport better. On behalf on Manchester City a big hug for all his family.”
Manchester City currently occupies 13th position on the Premier League table with 12 points in 8 games.
