Manuel Pellegrini defends Sergio Aguero selection

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini has defended his decision to start Sergio Aguero in Monday's 2-1 defeat at Arsenal.

Aguero had missed almost a month of the season with a heel problem, but went straight into the XI for the Premier League clash at the Emirates.

The Argentine struggled to make his mark in London, but Pellegrini has insisted that his star striker "was ready to play" and "needed minutes" to begin his recovery.

"Sergio was ready to play – he needed minutes. Maybe for three or four games he won't play 90 minutes as he's coming back," Pellegrini told reporters.

The decision was also questioned by Man City forward Wilfried Bony, who dropped out of the team due to Aguero's return.