Pep Guardiola Undergoes Back Surgery In Barcelona

Pep Guardiola, Manchester City’s coach, has undergone successful back surgery and will miss the club’s forthcoming games against Sheffield United and Fulham.

The City manager travelled to Barcelona for an operation on a minor ailment that had been plaguing him for some time, and he will now rest before returning to work.

Pep Guardiola returned to his home country, where he underwent ’emergency surgery’ and survived the treatment.

The 52-year-old has presided over Premier League victories over Burnley and Newcastle, as well as trips to Greece for the UEFA Supercup, but will miss upcoming games.

In a statement announcing the news on Tuesday, the club stated: “The Manchester City boss has been suffering with severe back pain for some time lately, and flew out to Barcelona for emergency surgery performed by Dr Mireia Illueca.

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“The surgery was a success, and Pep will now recover and rehabilitate in Barcelona.

“In his absence, assistant manager Juanma Lillo will oversee coaching of the first team on the training field and will assume duties on the touchline until Pep’s return,” City added.

“He is expected to return after the forthcoming international break.

“Everyone at Manchester City wishes Pep a speedy recovery, and looks forward to seeing him back in Manchester soon.”

Guardiola’s back ailment was resolved by a surgeon who specializes in spine microsurgery and minimally invasive spine surgery.

According to the Barcelona Spine Institute, Dr Illueca was previously a neurosurgery resident in Majorca and has extensive experience in managing difficult spine fractures.

In his absence, Guardiola has delegated first-team duties to his deputy manager, Lillo.

After former assistant Enzo Maresca left to become manager of Championship side Leicester, the 57-year-old rejoined Guardiola’s coaching team in August.

Lillo, 57, previously worked for City from 2020 to 2022, during which time he helped the club obtain two Premier League titles and a Carabao Cup.

Guardiola has a lot of faith in his colleague and has previously praised his return to the Etihad this summer.