MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has undergone “emergency surgery” on a back problem and isn’t expected to take charge of the team for around another month, the club said on Tuesday.
City said Guardiola has been suffering with severe back pain for some time and decided to have an operation in Barcelona, where he will spend time recovering. The surgery was successful, the club said.
His assistant, Juanma Lillo, will take over Guardiola’s duties in the meantime.
“He is expected to return after the forthcoming international break,” City said of Guardiola.
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 in the league against West Ham on Sept. 16, and the group stage of the Champions League begins the following midweek.
The 57-year-old Lillo is in his second stint as Guardiola’s assistant at City, having held the position from 2020-22 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 coach of Guardiola when both were in Mexico at Dorados.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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