Manchester City have been dealt another injury blow as Pep Guardiola revealed he expects Sergio Aguero to be out of action for ‘two or three’ weeks – making the striker a doubt for the crunch match against Liverpool next month.

In only his second game back from a five-month layoff, Sergio Aguero was substituted at half-time during his side’s 1-1 draw with West Ham on Saturday.

Aguero joins Gabriel Jesus, Fernandinho, Benjamin Mendy and Nathan Ake on the lengthy list of sidelined Manchester City stars.

The Argentine front man had been out of action since he hobbled off with a knee injury in his side’s 5-0 win against Burnley back in June. He enjoyed a 65-minute run out in the 1-0 win against Arsenal earlier this month and celebrated his return on social media.

However, Guardiola has now confirmed that Aguero picked up a muscular injury in the draw with West Ham, ruling him out of Champions League action against Marseille on Tuesday.

He said in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game in France, via Sky Sports: “It will be two or three weeks.

“We tried to handle it [Aguero’s injury] as much as possible, just 50-55 minutes every game. But it was not possible.

“When you are out for four or five months with a knee problem you always have a risk when you come back.”

Gabriel Jesus now has a race for fitness to ensure City have a recognised striker for their upcoming clashes in the Champions League, as well as a trio of tough fixtures against Sheffield United (31/10),Liverpool (8/11) and Tottenham (21/11).

Pep was, however, positive about the return of Jesus, adding: ” Gabriel is close – one week to 10 days to come back.”

Pep also admitted that City had debated whether or not to bring in striking cover during the summer transfer window, but revealed why the club had ultimately opted against it.

He said: “You know when you decide to buy a striker they have to be at the level of Aguero and Jesus and we could not afford it. This is the reality.”

If you’ve listened to the commentary of any Leicester game over the past 18 months, you will no doubt know that Harvey Barnes’ dad Paul was a journeyman striker back in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Barnes Snr would have been watching on proudly then, as his offspring lined up as a conventional number nine during the Foxes’ game against Arsenal on Sunday.

On paper, this seemed like a peculiar move from Rodgers. For starters, usual Jamie Vardy understudy Kelechi Iheanacho performed well in the Europa League on Thursday, registering two assists and a goal in his side’s 3-0 win over Zorya Luhansk.

Rodgers’ has previous with not trusting Iheanacho. It was the Nigerian’s removal at half time during the Foxes’ now infamous defeat to Bournemouth last July that gifted the Cherries a foothold in a game that Leicester were leading 1-0 at the time. This is the same result that ushered in the beginning of the end of the club’s Champions League hopes.

In Rodgers’ defence, Iheanacho was poor in Leicester’s most recent Premier League encounter against Aston Villa. His lack of desire to run in behind added further evidence to the theory that the former Manchester City man simply cannot operate as a lone striker in the current system.

Saying that, at least he is actually a striker by trade. This immediately makes him more qualified than the the man who did start up top against the Gunners.

The decision to exclude Iheanacho only looked more baffling when Barnes struggled to adapt to his new surroundings in the first half. In many ways, this was not his fault. The England international’s game is based around picking the ball up from deep and driving into the box.

To expect the 22-year-old to adjust so quickly to the ‘Vardy’ role was always an unreasonable request. Overall, Barnes had just over 10 touches in the entire first 45 minutes and did not managed to muster a single shot at goal.

It was properly tragic viewing at times. In a 3-4-2-1 formation that included four (that’s insane!) centre-midfielders, Leicester often had plenty of time in the middle of park. Even then Barnes stubbornly refused to make any runs behind the Gunners’ back line.

After the break, Rodgers gave James Maddison a crack of the striker’s whip, to equally poor effect.

In the end, Leicester were once again forced to call upon a 33-year-old with half a groin to bail them out.

A mere twenty minutes after coming on Vardy had already scored for the visitors, although he cannot take all of the credit. Youri Tielemans sumptuous ball to find Cengiz Under, as well as Under’s cross both deserve a special mention.

As glorious as the Foxes’ smash-and-grab win over the Gunners was, it did once again lay bare Rodgers’ worrying over-reliance on a goal scoring freak, whose body continues to defy all logic.

A man who has drunk as much Skittles vodka and strawpedoed as many Blue VKs as Vardy simply should not still be this good at football well into his thirties.

It’s a mightily depressing thought, but one day the Foxes will have to face up to life without the living legend. The centre-forward musical chairs that Rodgers seems to play every time he goes down with an injury suggests that his successor does not currently ply his trade at the King Power Stadium either.

It’s not an overstatement to say that this transfer will be one of the biggest in Leicester’s history. Players who possess anything close to Vardy’s combination of intelligence, pace, physicality, finishing and pressing are ludicrously hard to come by.

However, as the Foxes’ first half performance against Arsenal proved, it’s a decision they have to get right if Rodgers wants to continue to implement the Foxes’ current playing style.

A penny for the thoughts of every Sheffield United player and supporter when they laid eyes upon Liverpool’s starting lineup for Saturday evening’s game. A sight that would strike fear into any side.

The absence of Naby Keita and Thiago Alcantara from the team-sheet meant that the Reds were lacking a real passer of the ball in the midfield, someone who can create and invent while keeping the game moving.

And Jurgen Klopp clearly feels he now has no choice other than to sacrifice Fabinho from the base of his midfield, so that the Brazilian can shore up his back four, following the season-ending injury to talisman Virgil van Dijk.

So, changes were afoot. But who saw this radical switch in tactics and system coming?

The German coach clearly decided that if the Reds don’t possess the players to cut Sheffield United apart with intricate through balls or delicate play, they’ll have to blow them away with a bazooka, instead.

That bazooka came in the shape of a bold front four, with Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota all starting together for the first time in the Premier League. This left Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum with the tough task of marshalling the midfield alone, against a dynamic and excellently drilled Chris Wilder team.

Would it be a step too far? Would the Reds lose control of the game?

Well, it was hardly vintage, but it worked. Like a tight-knit group of friends shiftily eyeing a newcomer into their midst, we were always bound to see a few teething problems, as the deadly trio became a fearsome quartet.

The change in style saw Firmino dropping even deeper than usual, taking on the role of playmaker and adding that eye for a pass to the midfield. However, the Brazilian has been desperate to get on the scoresheet for far too long, so when the moment arrived to bombard the penalty area, the number nine was regularly in pole position.

Firmino’s deeper role meant that Salah could tuck in and attack more centrally, often taking up positions on the right and then arrowing towards the penalty spot with his explosive runs. And that left space for Jota to have some fun.

The Portuguese star didn’t have the biggest of impacts in the first half, as he and his teammates readjusted to their new roles. His time would come, though.

A shaky start and a soft penalty meant that the pressure was well and truly thrust on this new system, with the microscope fixed on just how this forward line could create goals. From wide, would be the response.

The Reds came back into the game just like champions, first equalising through Firmino, and then a free header for Jota allowed him to grab the all-important winning goal. The two strikes came from pinpoint crosses in wide areas, the first of which forcing a great save and conversion on the rebound, and the second being an excellently directed header.

And there were chances for more. Salah took a stranglehold of the game, but couldn’t find that elusive goal, while Mane will also feel hard done by for not getting his name on the scoresheet. In the end though, it was enough.

It wasn’t only up top where these changes had drastic effects. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson were forced to sit a touch deeper than they’d probably like, and their freedom to fly up and down the flanks had been temporarily clipped.

It doesn’t take a genius to realise that Liverpool have been targeted in wide areas by their opponents of late, who often look to exploit the gaps left by the wing-backs and launch counter-attacks of their own. So, it’s proven to be a simple and efficient fix from the German coach, and while defending is actually not this pair’s most notable skill, they are excellent in that department, regardless.

Job done, then. Not a classic, and not entirely convincing. But this Liverpool side is finding new ways of winning, and that should be the most encouraging sign of all for Reds supporters.