Manuel Pellegrini explains Sergio Aguero omission

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has admitted that he is being cautious with Sergio Aguero.

The Argentine was given extended leave following his outings for Argentina at the World Cup, but he came off the bench to score against Newcastle United last weekend and had been tipped to start against Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium this evening.

However, the striker has only been named among the substitutes, with Pellegrini having conceded that he doesn't want to put him through too much, too soon.

"We are working with Sergio in a mix of pre-season and games. Last week he played 10 minutes, today he might play more and in the next game he might play even more. It is very important for him to have a pre-season and he has just been working for 20 days," he told Sky Sports News.

Aguero scored 17 goals in 23 Premier League outings last term.