HIGHLIGHT
The Argentine says he wants to stay at the Etihad Stadium but suggested the matter may be taken out of his hands.
Sergio Aguero has delivered a major hint that his time at Manchester City could be coming to an end.
After being left on the bench for the second consecutive Premier League match, Aguero told reporters at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday evening that he wants to stay at the club but is unsure if his services will be retained.
Aguero has lost his place to new signing Gabriel Jesus in City’s two most recent matches, though Pep Guardiola insists the Argentine is central to his plans and that he will play in many more matches between now and the end of the season.
But Aguero painted a different picture after watching Jesus score twice in City’s dramatic 2-1 victory against Swansea, saying he has to learn from the young Brazil, and suggesting he has to work hard to persuade the club to keep him beyond the end of the season.
“Yeah, fine, normal,” he said of his current situation when asked by Goal . “Sometimes this happens. When you’re on the bench you have to wait for your opportunity. I have three months to do my best and try to help the team and we’ll see what happens with my future.”
Asked about whether he has thought about changing clubs, Aguero insisted it was his intention to stay: “No, no. I have to help the team as much as I can in these three months, afterwards we’ll see what the club wants to do with me.”
Aguero signed a contract extension last January but there is yet to be a formal announcement and it is understood there are no plans for one.
There was some confusion over the length of the agreement, but while Aguero now confirms his deal runs until 2020, he did not appear to know whether he will be able to honour it.
“In three years,” he added. “In three years my contract is up, that’s why I say I’m happy at the club. In these last three months that are left I have to help the club and as I say the club will decide if I have a place here or not.”
Asked what he will decide, he replied: “I want to stay, of course.”
Jesus has made an instant impact since making his first City start in the FA Cup a week ago. The Brazilian was identified by City scouts for his willingness to fight to regain possession and Goal has previously revealed that he was signed to spur Aguero into improving this area of his game.
And the Argentine, who is 23 goals shy of City’s all-time scoring record, says he has to watch and learn from the 19-year-old.
“Yes, at the moment I have to watch what he does, to learn, it could be a little bit,” he said, before adding defiantly: “but I am how I am. I have spent a lot of years in Europe playing the same way.
“He’s a great player, he’s a very young player but he will learn a lot at City and he will have a great future at the club.”
