Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has defended striker Sergio Aguero by saying that the player is not dirty even though he has already received two major suspensions for bad tackles.

The first suspension from the English FA came after Aguero was found guilty of elbowing a West Ham player early in the Premier League. He was forced to miss three matches as a result of this suspension. Now, a horrific challenge on Chelsea defender David Luiz earned him a straight red card. Since it is his second suspension of the campaign, he will miss four games for City.

His absence will come at a time when the club have been struggling for form. Aguero has been the top scorer for the club with 10 goals this season. His last goals for the club came in the 2-1 win over Burnley towards the end of November.

Even though Aguero will miss some key matches against the likes of Arsenal, he will return just before the away match against Liverpool on New Year’s Day. It has been a difficult campaign for Aguero, who has been excellent in terms of goal scoring, but has struggled when it comes to discipline. He is by far the best scorer for the club with 16 goals in all competitions.

The player’s struggles have not just been at club level, but he has also lost his place in the international team.“Sergio’s not an aggressive player. It’s two red cards, seven games, accept the punishment from the federation [Football Association].It’s not my job, it’s a job for the referees. I’m not comfortable talking about the referees. I’m not. We just have to accept it and try to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” said Guardiola. Aguero has not scored for Argentina since the goal against Panama in June.