Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has undergone “urgent surgery” on a back problem and is not expected to take over the team for about a month, the club said on Tuesday. .
City said Guardiola had been suffering from severe back pain for some time and decided to undergo surgery in Barcelona, where he will spend time recovering. The club said the surgery was a success.
His assistant, Juanma Lillo, will take over Guardiola’s duties for the time being.
“He is expected to return from the upcoming international break,” City said of Guardiola.
City have Premier League matches against Sheffield United and Fulham before the club’s season is suspended for two weeks for international play.
Man City’s first match back is the match against West Ham on September 11. On January 16, and the Champions League group stage kicks off in the middle of next week.
Lillo, 57, who is in his second term as Guardiola’s assistant at City, has held the position from 2020-22 after joining from Qingdao Huanghai in China.
He left in June 2022 to take up a coaching position at Al-Sadd in Qatar.
Lillo had previously coached Guardiola while both were at Dorados in Mexico.
This story has been published from media feeds without modification of the text.
Leave a Reply