Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he would not rush Sergio Aguero again in action even though his side’s lack a goal in the Premier League.
City’s record goalscorer was an unused substitute in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Tottenham as he nears a return from his latest injury problem.
The 32-year-old Argentine missed the end of last season and the start of the current campaign after undergoing knee surgery in June. He has since had another lay-off after suffering a hamstring injury last month.
City have scored only 10 goals in eight top flight matches this season, although their strike record in Europe is more impressive, with nine goals in their three matches.
“We want him to return to training again so he can restore good feelings on his knees, this is the most important thing,” Guardiola said on Tuesday.
“We are waiting for him and take him a step by step. We have a lot, many games to play this season and we will need him. What we want is him to recover in his best condition.”
City travel to Greece on Tuesday ahead of their Champions League Group C match at Olympiakos on Wednesday.
After winning their opening three matches, the victory will secure their place in the last 16, leaving them free to focus on increasing their Premier League forms.
City had dropped points in five of their eight matches so far and languished at the bottom of the table, eight points behind the leader of Tottenham.
“One step at a time,” Guardiola said, who last week extended his contract to 2023.
“We will try toget through (Wednesday) to qualify and at the same time, recover, return feeling good that we can create chances and score goals.”
Captain Fernandinho has recovered from gastroenteritis and can feature while left-back Benjamin Mendy is also back in contention after injury.
