Guardiola to make late decision on Aguero’s fitness

Pep Guardiola will not risk Sergio Aguero if there is any chance of the Argentine missing Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Tottenham.

And Manchester City’s manager also admitted he needs to understand Benjamin Mendy’s culture as the French World Cup winner fights to save his Etihad career.

Aguero travelled with the rest of City’s squad for Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final clash with Brighton – but Guardiola is waiting on a last-minute assessment from club doctors before deciding if the striker will play.

City’s manager described the 30-year-old as ‘almost fit’ after he limped out of last weekend’s victory against Fulham and missed the midweek win over Cardiff.

But with a Champions League double-header against Spurs coming up, Guardiola will not take any chances.

“Sergio is going to play when he’s really, really fit,” said the Catalan. “The doctors are going to tell me tomorrow if he’s a risk of being injured and after that whether it could be three or four weeks out.

“If that is the case I’m sure he’s not going to play. It’s a semi-final. It’s an important game and we’ll play with the best side possible.”

With Aleks Zinchenko ruled out for 10-12 days, Guardiola will make a decision over whether to recall Mendy.

The left-back has endured two injury-plagued seasons at City, prompting the club to draw up a list of alternative targets to pursue this summer. Mendy’s attitude has also been a concern.

Last week he was spotted partying in a nightclub in the early hours of the morning ahead of training.

Guardiola refused to publicly criticise the £49million defender – but the incident has placed further doubt over his long-term future at the club.