Guardiola: Aguero and Jesus can't play together
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola could be on course to upset his strikers after admitting that they cannot play up front together, meaning one of them must warm the bench every week.
The pair impressed playing together early this season but Guardiola believes that without Benjamin Mendy providing the width down the left, it will have to be one of the other for the forseeable future.
Mendy is currently sidelined after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in a challenge with Andros Townsend and is not expected to be back until April.
Guardiola admits that both Aguero and Jesus are excellent players who deserve to be playing games, describing the need to choose between them as his 'hardest decision', but despite this, he believes the lack of an outlet on the left makes the prospect of them playing together an impossibility.
'Both have different qualities - they deserve to play,' Guardiola said. 'They have a lot of games and they have to be ready. It is the toughest decision.'
When asked if the pair could play together, Guardiola replied: 'Yeah in the moment we had Mendy. When you have Mendy, he can play wide and the winger can go inside.
'Fabian Delph cannot do that. Without Mendy, Leroy Sane has to go wide, which is why they don't play together.
'Sergio after the crash, he was fit. He is fit. For me he is so tough. So is Gabriel.'
Along with Aguero and Jesus, Guardiola also faces the deicision of when to hand wonderkids Phil Foden and Brahim Diaz their debuts, something Guardiola insists the pair are ready for:
'They are two young players training this season. What I saw in the pre-season, the training, the World Cup, they are ready,' he said.
'Here in the high level we try and help the young players. They've shown me the same we saw when they played in the second and third team. The skills and quality are there.
'We can help them with speed because the lack of time is higher so Phil has to fight duels against Kevin De Bruyne, against Fernandinho, against David Silva. Every day is a step to improve.
'Years ago, people had more time to think. Now it is reduced. Everything is quicker. The players are faster in all senses, physically and mentally. I said in pre-season, those guys will train with us all season. They have to be ready. Sometimes the manager makes a surprise.'