Man City boss Pep Guardiola to miss two games after emergency back surgery

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has undergone “emergency surgery” for a back problem and isn’t expected to take charge of the team for about another month, the club says.

“The Manchester City boss has been suffering with severe back pain for some time lately and flew out to Barcelona for emergency surgery,” City said in a statement on Tuesday.

“The surgery was a success, and Pep will now recover and rehabilitate in Barcelona. … He is expected to return after the forthcoming international break.”

City has English Premier League games against Sheffield United and Fulham before the club season pauses for two weeks for international matches.

City’s first game back is against West Ham on September 16, and the group stage of the Champions League begins the following week.

Pep Guardiola has today undergone a routine operation on a back problem.

Everyone at Manchester City wishes Pep a speedy recovery, and look forward to seeing him back in Manchester soon.

— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 22, 2023

Guardiola’s assistant, Juanma Lillo, will take over his duties in the meantime.

The 57-year-old is in his second stint as Guardiola’s assistant at City, having held the position from 2020 to 2022 after joining from Qingdao Huanghai in China.

He left in June 2022 to take up a position as coach at Al-Sadd in Qatar.

Lillo was previously Guardiola’s coach when both were in Mexico at Dorados.