Pep Guardiola has defended striker Sergio Aguero after he was criticised for putting his arm on the shoulder of assistant referee Sian Massey-Ellis.
Aguero, making his first appearance since June after a knee injury, disputed a throw-in call which went against him early in the second half of Manchester City’s 1-0 win over Arsenal on Saturday.
After arguing his case with Massey-Ellis, Aguero then put his arm around her shoulder as she began to walk away – actions which drew attention on social media and led his former team-mate Micah Richards to say on Sky Sports that Aguero should “know better”.
In his post-match press conference, Guardiola said: “Come on guys. Sergio is the nicest person I ever met in my life. Look for problems in other situations, not in this one.”
Aguero, who played a key role in setting up Raheem Sterling’s decisive 23rd-minute goal, was replaced after 65 minutes of his comeback appearance.
