Pep Guardiola offers fitness and injury update on Man City players after training resumes

Manchester City returned to training at the weekend in small groups while adhering to social distancing guidelines.

Pep Guardiola says all his players have returned to training in perfect condition after a two-month absence.

Manchester City players were back at the City Football Academy at the weekend having been tested for coronavirus and they were put through their paces while adhering to social distancing guidelines laid out by the Premier League.

Guardiola watched on in protective gear, wearing a mask and blue surgical gloves and a full tracksuit. His players were limited to training in groups of five and contact training is forbidden for now.

Among the training group were the likes of Aymeric Laporte and Leroy Sane, who have been struggling with long-term injury issues all season. The likes of Benjamin Mendy, John Stones and Kevin de Bruyne have also had a series of small injuries over the season, but were all running freely in training this weekend.

And Guardiola says his players are all in 'really good' condition, providing him with a fully-fit squad for when the Premier League returns.

“Yeah, really good,” he said when asked about the condition of his players by City's website.

“I think they were looking forward to coming back and to train again and do what they like. They came back perfectly.

“We follow the rules, the protocol. We have to. That’s the most important thing. We don’t do anything special.

“The special ones are the doctors, nurses, scientists, cleaners – they put their own lives at risk to save ours."

Commenting on the unprecedented halt to the football season, Guardiola said he acknowledges that fans want football to return, but urged everyone to continue to follow public health guidelines as he thanked frontline NHS workers.

“When it’s a special situation around the world, you have to adapt," he continued.

“Well I think all the fans around the world are waiting to watch football. We want to come back but now the priority is other things. It’s still stay safe, be careful and when everything is possible we will come back. First, I think without them, but hopefully we come back to a routine.

“But now the most important thing is to follow the instructions. If they say use a mask, stay at home, social distance…we have to do it. Because there are many, many people in the NHS who put their own lives at risk to save ours.

“It’s incredible what they have done, and we have to follow them. Now, we cannot do anything wrong.”