Pep Guardiola has accused football of “not caring about players” as Manchester City prepare for a busy schedule without forward Gabriel Jesus.
City boss Guardiola, who says he only has 13 fit senior players for Sunday’s home match with Leicester (16:30 GMT), said his players were “not machines”.
Guardiola is concerned at the tight domestic and international schedule after a short close season.
“Nobody cares about the players. It is about the business,” he added.
Between now and 31 October, City have eight league and cup games, including two in the Champions League. Some of their players are also expected to appear in international games in October.
Brazil international Jesus has been ruled out of action for at least three weeks with a muscular problem, while Sergio Aguero is expected to miss another seven weeks with a knee injury. (BBC)