Sergio Aguero Admits He s Struggling for Fitness Following Knee Surgery
Sergio Aguero has admitted he is still struggling since his injury | Visionhaus/Getty Images
Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero had conceded he is struggling to find fitness after undergoing knee surgery earlier this year.
The Argentina international was forced to miss City s final eight games of the Premier League campaign last season after being withdrawn at half-time with a knee injury in his side s 5-0 thrashing of Burnley in June.
Sergio Aguero returned to Premier League action on Tuesday | Michael Regan/Getty Images
The extent of the injury meant Aguero was forced to undergo surgery and he s subsequently struggled to remain fit this campaign, featuring in just three of Pep Guardiola s side s league outings.
Reasons to be cheerful
The omens tend to be good for the side who occupy top spot on Christmas Day and if Liverpool negotiate Saturday s tricky trip to Crystal Palace without defeat, that is where they will be.
They have a hungry squad who are eager to retain the Premier League title, and the ambition in the dressing room should not be underestimated. The performance against Tottenham marked them out as the team to beat and this correspondent will be surprised if they are pegged back.
Jurgen Klopp s side are marching on from last season and went top after their win over Spurs
But it has been strange to see a switch to caution, with City meandering through matches without their usual menace and threat to rip apart opponents.
Goals have dried up. City have just 18 from their opening 12 games, with five coming in the victory over Burnley. That’s down from 35 at the same stage last season, exactly half of their last title-winning campaign and 22 fewer than the “Centurion” season.
The knock-on effect has seen them drop more points, less than a third of the way into the season, than they did throughout the entire 2017-18 campaign - with just five wins so far.
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After back-to-back draws with Manchester United and West Brom, and with neither Sergio Aguero nor Gabriel Jesus starting at St Mary s Stadium, there was pressure on Pep Guardiola s men to find a way past a Southampton side who have looked one of the most impressive in the league this season.
A goal from Raheem Sterling proved decisive, the England international producing a composed finish in the first half to secure maximum points on the south coast.
The Saints pushed hard in the second half but could not break through a resilient City defence as they suffered just a fourth league loss of 2020-21.
Sergio Aguero: Manchester City forward still struggling with knee injury
City s record goalscorer has made just six appearances in all competitions this season after missing the start of the campaign following knee surgery; forward featured as a substitute in Tuesday s 1-1 draw with West Brom but missed a training ahead of Saturday s trip to Southampton
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Saturday 19 December 2020 08:47, UK Image: Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero has made just six appearances in all competitions this season
Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero says he is still struggling to shake off the knee injury that has sidelined him for a majority of the season and needs more time to return to full fitness.