Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has confirmed that Sergio Agüero and David Silva will miss the Manchester Derby on Sunday.
The two join Fabian Delph, Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy on the sidelines for the crunch clash at Old Trafford.
“Silva, Agüero, Nasri, Delph & Clichy will miss the derby. Maybe next week one or two of them can start working with the team,” the Chilean manager said.
Pellegrini hinted that Kevin De Bruyne may be deployed up front on Sunday. “Last season we had a lot of different ways to play — when our strikers were injured, we played with [midfielder James] Milner [in attack] and scored goals,” he said.
We can play in different ways and we can win. Kevin de Bruyne is not a striker but he could play as a striker if we need him to.
The City manager also hinted that captain Vincent Kompany faces a fight to get back into the first team:
It’s crucial to play with the best players for the moment. Football is moments – now, Mangala & Otamendi are doing well.
City go into the game two points ahead of United at the top of the Premier League, but Pellegrini is adamant that it was too early to call the game decisive.
It’s not a game that decides the title,” he said. “For the city it’s always a special game – it’s the same for the team and the manager.
