‘A City legend forever’

Sergio Aguero, who will always be associated with a single gilded moment in Manchester City's history, is starting his long goodbye from the club with his position secure as one of the Premier League's all-time greats.

Fans in the blue half of Manchester are coming to terms with the impending departure of the 32-year-old striker, who will leave when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Aguero joined City from Atletico Madrid in 2011, three years after the club was taken over by Abu Dhabi owners, and will leave after 10 trophy-laden years as the club's record goalscorer, with 257 goals in 384 games so far. "When a cycle comes to an end, many sensations arise," the Argentine wrote on Twitter. "A huge sense of satisfaction and pride remains in me for having played with Manchester City for a whole 10 seasons -- unusual for a professional player in this day and age."

Aguero has won four Premier League titles, with a fifth looking almost certain this season for City. Pep Guardiola's side also remain in the hunt for a historic quadruple.

City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has revealed a statue of the striker has been commissioned to stand alongside those currently being made to honour Aguero's former team-mates David Silva and Vincent Kompany.

Team-mate Kevin De Bruyne hailed him as a "City legend forever" while City defender Aymeric Laporte described him as a "class act" on and off the pitch. Aguero has struggled with injuries since having knee surgery in the close season. A hamstring problem complicated his comeback and then he had to sit out a month after a coronavirus infection.