“Aguero was lying”, “He got away with it” - Micah Richards shares secret about ex-Manchester City teammate Sergio Aguero
Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards claimed that club legend Sergio Aguero lied about his knowledge of English. The pundit stated that while the Argentinian attacker spoke the language well, he did not show it, which helped him avoid interviews during his stint in England.
Speaking on the Rest is Football podcast with Gary Lineker, Richards said:
"This is the thing Gary - Aguero was lying. When they were asking him to do interviews, he was saying 'I don't speak English'. But he spoke brilliant English. He knew exactly what the slang terms were, all the terminologies, and of course, speaking with your friends and having an interview is two entirely different things, but he just played on that so much.
"He got away with it. Muggins like me, James Milner, Joleon Lescott, all the English lads had to do the media because Kun just said he didn't speak no English."
Aguero rarely appeared before the media while playing for Manchester City. Notably, he also gave an interview to Lineker on Match of the Day in Spanish owing to his supposed lack of grasp of English.
The 35-year-old established himself as an icon for the Cityzens in his 10-year stint from 2011 to 2021. He bagged 260 goals in 389 games and took home 12 trophies before leaving for Barcelona. However, his stint with La Blaugrana was cut short after he was revealed to have a heart issue, forcing him to retire.
Pep Guardiola identifies key issue as Manchester City slump continues
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola suggested that the side needed to get more out of star striker Erling Haaland. Speaking ahead of their Premier League clash against Everton, he highlighted this as a reason behind the Cityzens' poor form.
He said during a press conference (via ESPN):
"It's about us, it's not just about one playing. When Erling was so prolific, it was about us, the team. Erling is so important for us and will be so important for us. We need to use him better.
"The reason why is this one and this one and this one. It is about us, about everyone. The guys are running more than ever. Many little details and big details make us not as good as we were."
Haaland has enjoyed a productive campaign and is still the Premier League's joint-top scorer with 13 goals. However, he has found the back of the net just once in his last six games in the league.
This has coincided with a terrible run of results for Manchester City who have collected just one win in their last 12 games. Currently in seventh, Guardiola's men will be hoping to get back on track with a win against Everton.