Pep Guardiola will not sit on the City bench on Sunday at Sheffield United or on Saturday the 2nd against Fulham. The Manchester City manager will be out for a few weeks after undergoing a "routine operation" on his back.
As explained by the English club, the Santpedor coach had been suffering from "significant back pain" for a long time, for which he flew to Barcelona to undergo an "emergency" operation with Dr. Mireia Illueca.
In mid-June, Guardiola was barely able to participate in the Legends Trophy golf tournament, in Pals, due to back problems.
"The operation has been a success and Pep will recover and rehabilitate in Barcelona," added the current European champion. Guardiola was in charge of the team in the first two days of the Premier League and in the final of the European Super Cup, in Athens.
In the absence of the first coach, it will be his assistant, Juanma Lillo, who will lead the team's training sessions and who will sit on the bench for the next two games, against Sheffield United and Fulham.
The intention is to take advantage of the national team break on September 10 so that Guardiola fully recovers from the postoperative period and can reappear on the 16th in the duel against West Ham, in London.
It is not the first time that Guardiola has undergone surgery for a back problem. In March 2011, when he was coach of Barcelona, he suffered a herniated disc that forced him to undergo surgery. So, Pep did not miss any game although he was in pain at Mestalla, where he accompanied the team.
