MANCHESTER -- Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero is likely to miss the Manchester derby, but manager Manuel Pellegrini is optimistic his top scorer’s hamstring injury will only keep him out for a fortnight.
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Aguero, 25, came off at half-time in City’s 2-1 Champions League defeat to Barcelona on Tuesday and is certain to miss Saturday’s trip to Hull City.
The Argentina international, who has undergone a scan, will discover the full extent of his injury on Saturday, but while Pellegrini expects him to miss the meeting with Manchester United on March 25, he hinted the player could be back for the trip to Arsenal on March 29.
He said: “Sergio will know tomorrow [Saturday] what he has. It is 48 hours after they do the exam to know exactly what it is. I don’t know if it is really very serious. I don’t think so. I hope he will be injured for [only] a couple of weeks.”
Aguero has scored 26 goals for City this season but is now spending a third spell on the sidelines with either a calf or hamstring problem.
And it means Pellegrini only has two of his four senior forwards fit for the game at Hull, with Stevan Jovetic still sidelined by a hamstring injury.
Centre-back Matija Nastasic, who Pellegrini had also expected to recover in time for the visit to the KC Stadium, remains out as well, along with right-back Micah Richards.
And the City boss added: “Nastasic and Jovetic, both of them continue recovering. Maybe next week they can be fit and Micah Richards has a problem before the game against Barcelona.”