Sergio Aguero's Status for Manchester Derby Unknown, Pep Guardiola Says

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday he doesn't know whether Sergio Aguero will be fit for Saturday's Manchester derby.

The club's official Twitter account relayed the manager's words:

The Argentina international has been out of action since suffering a knee injury in training on March 11 and failed to recover in time to make the bench against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday. Gabriel Jesus may have to deputise again if Aguero is absent.

Aguero was in superb form before the injury setback, contributing with increasing regularity to City's buildup play just when it looked as though his time at the Etihad Stadium was winding down. Guardiola demands creativity in deeper areas of the pitch from his strikers, a factor that had worked against Aguero.

Dave Thompson/Associated Press

But the 29-year-old, who has scored 21 goals in 24 Premier League matches this season, now appears to be firmly in Guardiola's plans.

City host Manchester United on Saturday evening hoping to lift the Premier League title in front of their archrivals. Guardiola's side are 16 points clear of the Red Devils at the top of the table, meaning a victory against Jose Mourinho's team would seal the league—and in record time.

Guardiola has reportedly decided to rest key players for Saturday's match, however, because of its proximity to Tuesday's crucial Champions League quarter-final second leg against Liverpool, per BBC Sport. This could mean Aguero misses out against United to keep him fresh for the club's attempt to overturn a three-goal deficit in Europe.

Aguero's availability for Saturday may be touch-and-go, but Guardiola's comments would suggest the striker is nearing a return. Given Aguero's phenomenal goal return in a City shirt, that isn't news Liverpool fans will want to hear.