There were interesting comments made by Sergio Aguero over the past day or so, which did throw some doubt over his participation in the Premier League title run in.
In this piece by Jamie Jackson in The Guardian, the quote attributed to the Argentinian is as follows:
"With this recovery I am trying to do my best to be able to play again, but I cannot do it in a hurry," he told DirecTV. "I do think to myself if something happens now, I will lose the rest of the Premier League season and the World Cup."
It had been speculated that Aguero would have returned to full training by now, with a view to him being involved in the remaining fixtures at this crucial time but given Aguero's recent injury history - having suffered an injury against Barcelona soon after returning to the side from a previous injury - the looming World Cup may have an effect on how quickly he returns to the side.
Having the World Cup - of which Aguero will be a part of - on the horizon, it is little wonder that Aguero is reticent to rush back too soon, particularly given that his playing style makes him susceptible to the type of muscle injuries that have at times affected him.
With City still to fully answer the questions regarding their strikers the hope was that Aguero could return at this crucial stage, yet rather than the World Cup being an incentive for a player to get back and be playing in this instance it may be that we don't see Aguero return quite just yet to guard against jeopardising his participation in it.