The reigning European and English champions have lost their manager, Pep Guardiola, to an untimely injury.
Manchester City don’t expect Pep Guardiola to return to work until after the upcoming international break.
As things stand, international football will resume on September 4 until September 12. This means Guardiola will miss City’s next two games in the Premier League.
The first one is away to Sheffield United this Sunday at Bramall Lane. City will then welcome Fulham to the Etihad on September 2, before the players leave for the international games.
Why is Guardiola missing?
On Tuesday, Manchester City released a statement on Guardiola. They explained the manager had suffered from severe back pain. He traveled to Barcelona for an “emergency” operation.
Not much else is known at this stage, but City did report that the surgery was a success.
Guardiola is now recovering in Barcelona, and if his rehabilitation goes to plan, he expects to be back in the dugout on September 16 for City’s trip to West Ham.
Who will replace Pep in the meantime?
Guardiola’s assistant, Juanma Lillo, will take over coaching duties on the training ground and on the touchline.
The 57-year-old is no stranger to being in the spotlight. He has coached numerous clubs around the world, including Real Sociedad and Vissel Kobe. His last senior coaching role was with Al Sadd in Qatar earlier this year.
He will now lead City, last season’s treble winners, out on Sunday to play the newly-promoted Sheffield United in the Premier League.
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