Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has admitted that striker Sergio Aguero is an irreplaceable player.

The Argentina international made his comeback from injury, suffered in early October, in the 4-1 defeat against Liverpool on Saturday and made an immediate impact with a stunning goal.

When asked if Aguero needs to be handled cautiously, Pellegrini agreed: "Of course we must be able to play without Sergio, and we've already demonstrated we can do it without him in the last month and a half – we qualified for next stage of the Champions League, we were top of the Premier League until last Saturday, and qualified in the Capital One Cup.

"But without doubt we are better team with Sergio, so if you want to arrive in an important stage of the Champions League or other competitions, of course we need Sergio fit. If he can play it is better for us.

"But the problem is not just with Sergio. An important amount of players have injuries in this part of the season and we have to play so many games. We must manage the minutes with all the players. Maybe Sergio has special muscles in the way he plays, but you cannot change that."