I didn´t convince him, he decided for himself – Guardiola says thanks to Aguero

Pep Guardiola insisted he did not have to convince Sergio Aguero to sign a new contract extension at Manchester City, claiming the striker is fully committed to the club.

Aguero put pen to paper on a new deal that ties him to the Etihad Stadium until 2021, by which time he will have been at City for 10 years.

Guardiola paid tribute to the Argentina international, who has scored three goals in five Premier League appearances so far this season.

“I didn’t convince him, he decided for himself,” Guardiola said of Aguero.

“Thank you so much [to him] for that. He’s one of the players who shows his commitment to the club every day.”

 @aguerosergiokun… new contract… enough said! #mancity pic.twitter.com/J8v60LUEPQ

— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 21, 2018

Aguero’s decision to extend his stay with the club was a welcome boost following a 2-1 home defeat to Lyon in the Champions League, City’s first loss of the season.

However, Guardiola refused to criticise his players for their performance ahead of a trip to Cardiff City in the Premier League on Saturday.

“The players don’t have to apologise,” said Guardiola. “For what? They ran, they fought, they tried to come back. The competition punishes mistakes.

“We reviewed the game. We didn’t play bad. It wasn’t the best performance but we didn’t play bad.

“They didn’t create too many chances. It’s that competition, I insist it is completely different from the Premier League, it asks a lot of us.

“We still have to learn. I have to help the team better than I did in the past.”