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Sergio Aguero to miss 2-4 weeks after breaking rib in car crash - source

Sergio Aguero has confirmed he has a broken rib, but that his injuries could have been worse after he was involved in a road accident in Amsterdam on Thursday.

Aguero was a passenger in a taxi en route to the airport in Amsterdam after attending a concert on Thursday night put on by Maluma, a Colombian singer, when the driver lost control of the vehicle and hit a column on the side of the road.

After Aguero was examined by City doctors on Friday, a source told ESPN FC that his injuries are not as bad first feared and he hopes to return within two to four weeks, after it was originally reported the 29-year-old could miss six to eight weeks. 

He will miss Saturday's Premier League clash with Chelsea and a crucial pair of World Cup qualifiers for Argentina next week, though he could return to make City's game against Stoke City immediately after the international break.

And after returning to Manchester on Friday afternoon, the forward wrote on Twitter: "Thank you with all my heart for the supportive messages, they really do help me in recovering.

"The taxi I was riding made a wrong turn and crashed against a pole. It was a very heavy slam, but seatbelts prevented it from being worse.

"I'd like to thank the staff of the VU University Medical Amsterdam for their care and support. Hats off to all their team.

"I'm home in Manchester after an exam by club [doctors]. It's a broken rib. Hurts, but I'm fine, fully focused on recovery. Thank you all!"

City boss Pep Guardiola did not specify how long Aguero would be out, saying at a news conference earlier on Friday: "The first impression is he has broken a rib but the number of days he will be out, I don't know right now."

Asked on the timeline for his return, Guardiola said: "I don't know, I am not a doctor. I don't know exactly what he had. Of course it was an accident. Fortunately he'll come back and recover as soon as possible."

And the manager confirmed that Aguero would be unavailable for Argentina for their final World Cup qualifiers against Peru and Ecuador, with the Albiceleste currently outside the automatic qualifying places for Russia.

"He cannot play tomorrow and the international break -- maybe he was selected for Argentina but he cannot go there," Guardiola said. "We will see. I don't know the answers."

Aguero was on an approved day off when the incident occurred and Guardiola did not place any blame on the player.

"I think days off are to be happy. I want the players to be happy," Guardiola said. "Always I am a manager who doesn't like to train every day. I think the players have to rest mentally and physically. They can enjoy their lives. I want my players to have fun.

"If they decide to go there, they decide to go there. It is OK for me. We have enough rules. Play right, left, defend long balls, set-pieces, control the counter-attacks. Enough rules."

Maluma had posted an image on Instagram of Aguero signing a Manchester City replica shirt for him, with a caption celebrating their friendship. Aguero also shared an image on the social media site thanking Maluma for the invitation to the concert.

Independiente, the Argentine club where Aguero began his career, wished the striker a "speedy recovery" on Twitter and added: "All Independiente is with you at this difficult time."

Roberto Mancini, who brought Aguero to City from Atletico Madrid in 2011, tweeted a message of support which read: "I'm sorry for [Aguero's] car crash. Come on boy, come back soon."

Aguero is one goal away from equalling City's all-time scoring record. His goal tally currently stands at 176, after scoring eight in his first 10 appearances of the current season in all competitions.

The news comes on the heels of another injury setback for Manchester City, who revealed on Friday that defender Benjamin Mendy will be out for seven months after rupturing knee ligaments.

ESPN FC's Manchester City correspondent, Jonathan Smith, contributed to this report.

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