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Pep Guardiola said Sergio Aguero had earned the right to determine his own Manchester City future after the Argentine striker scored a brace in a 4-0 demolition of Bournemouth.
The build-up to Saturday's contest was overshadowed by talk of Aguero's supposed discontent at Etihad Stadium as Guardiola continues to rotate his starting XI.
Aguero, City's all-time leading scorer, is reported to have held talks with club owner Khaldoon Al Mubarak, but he showed no signs of unhappiness against Bournemouth as he scored twice and set up a goal for Raheem Sterling.
"I respect Sergio a lot, about all he has done and what he will do in the future," said City manager Guardiola after the Premier League leader's 17th successive league win.
Sergio Aguero reacts after opening the scoring for Manchester City in its 4-0 Premier League win over Bournemouth at Etihad Stadium on Saturday. [Photo/Agencies) ]
"He is a legend. He will decide absolutely everything about his life and his future. I'm delighted to have him here with Gabriel (Jesus) and all the squad.
"Aguero is a special player, a legend, and I am so happy when he plays good and he is scoring goals. I know the players who normally don't play are upset, but all the team deserve to play."
Aguero's first goal, a clinically taken diving header after 27 minutes following a fine Fernandinho cross, was his 100th City goal at the Etihad.
City has now scored 101 goals in 2017, becoming the first top-flight team to do so in a calendar year since Liverpool netted 106 throughout 1982.
City is 13 points ahead of Manchester United, who was criticized by manager Jose Mourinho for "childish" mistakes after conceding an added-time equalizer in a 2-2 draw at Leicester.
Sterling doubled City's lead in the 53rd minute, thrashing a low effort home to end a challenging week for the England forward. On Wednesday a man was jailed for 16 weeks for racially abusing Sterling at the club's training ground the previous weekend.
The former Liverpool player appears to have shrugged off the incident and Guardiola believes he is getting better all the time.
"With and without the ball, he's so aggressive and so intense. I like how clear it's becoming - he knows when to dribble and when to pass," said Guardiola.
"Before there was a mistake, now he's enjoying scoring goals. In the past it was a bit scary for him.
"He's loved in the locker room, he's a young player and important for the national team. He must maintain that level."
After Sterling's strike, Bournemouth could no longer contain City and the home side laid siege to the Cherries' goal.
Aguero nodded home his second header of the match before substitute Danilo ruthlessly finished from 12 yards out with five minutes remaining.
Although they slipped into the relegation zone, the Cherries showed enough intent and commitment to suggest they can avoid the drop.
"City are an outstanding team, very difficult to play against and we came with a game plan to stay in the game, then maybe have a go," said beaten manager Eddie Howe.
"For long periods we were good. The (first) goal came from our mistake, which was disappointing, but the rest of the half was OK. The second goal was the killer. We had another go, but it was difficult."
Howe added: "We try to approach every game looking to win, but these are a difficult team to play against.
"If you get it wrong here they have the players to expose it. We've had an incredibly difficult run, but we are through it and have to focus on the games coming up."
Mourinho slams 'childish' United
Jose Mourinho slammed his Manchester United stars after they conceded a late equalizer in a 2-2 draw against 10-man Leicester that left the Red Devils 13 points adrift of leader Manchester City.
United was already trailing in City's wake, but Harry Maguire's 94th-minute leveler at King Power Stadium on Saturday was another hammer blow to its title hopes just hours after its rival had beaten Bournemouth.
At 2-1, Mourinho's side missed several superb chances to kill off the Foxes, and the United boss was furious with his players' finishing and the sloppy defending for Maguire's goal.
"It is as bad as a defeat," said Mourinho. "Sometimes you take a point and you say 'OK' and you accept it as it was hard to get a positive result.
"That is not the case (today). It is a game to win easily. It is a big frustration as they are easy goals to score and easy goals to kill the game but not just the goals we missed, also some easy way out to counter-attack where we lost the ball easily.
"On top of that, in the last couple of minutes, we allow the opposition to throw a few balls into the box, with (Leicester defender) Christian Fuchs' hands and crosses.
"We couldn't defend the last cross so I think we were punished by our mistakes in both penalty areas.
"There was a lack of maturity. I cannot stop the game and give a team talk."
A seething Mourinho continued: "For the last two minutes of the game the players had to immediately adapt, had to read the game, which they didn't so we had childish decisions in front of goal and bad decisions as it was not just about the goals we missed, or dribbling or hitting the post.
"It was not just about missing chances, it was also about decisions. Easy decisions to make in easy transitions to counter-attack."
Mourinho said he does not know whether all of his players will develop the maturity he demands.
"Some players they have childish decisions and time helps them to have maturity and to decide better but some other players stay with childish decisions until the end of their career," he said.
"You know it depends on what is inside and the way they learn or they don't learn."
(AFP)
