Pep Guardiola will miss Man City’s next two games after undergoing surgery; he will recover in Barcelona until after September international break, with Juanma Lillo in temporary charge.
A statement from the Premier League champions says their manager has been struggling with back pain for some time and has undergone emergency surgery in Barcelona.
Guardiola’s surgery was successful but he will continue his rehabilitation in the city. The 52-year-old is not expected to be back on the touchline for City until after the international break, meaning he will miss this Sunday’s trip to Sheffield United, as well as the visit of Fulham at the Etihad stadium.
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In his nonattendance, Juanma Lillo, who recently rejoined the club as an assistant manager this month following his tenure as the manager of Al Sadd in Qatar, will be responsible for overseeing training sessions and matches for the team that won three titles.
This is not the first time Man City have had to cope without their manager since Guardiola first came to the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2016.
In 2018, a touchline suspension during the Champions League led Guardiola to entrust Mikel Arteta with overseeing the match against Lyon in September of that year. City ended up losing the group-stage game 2-1.
Moving to 2022, Guardiola was unable to lead City in an FA Cup third-round match against Swindon Town due to being diagnosed with coronavirus.