Pep Guardiola says they must be careful not to burn out Sergio Aguero as Manchester City try to cope without injured striker Gabriel Jesus for the next six weeks.
The Brazilian has been ruled out with a a medial collateral ligament injuryleaving City with just Aguero and 18-year-old Academy product Brahim Diaz as recognised strikers.
Guardiola warned that the busy festive schedule put too much strain on his players and it's a concern for the Catalan coach that he could face around 10 more fixtures before Gabriel's return.
"Believe me, I would prefer Gabriel was here, but for this amount of games, we have one striker in Sergio," Guardiola told a news conference ahead of Saturday's FA Cup clash with Burnley.
"We have other options to play in that position in the squad, and of course, Sergio is going to play and play and play -- and hopefully can show us his top level that he has.
The transfer window is heating up! Transfer Talk brings you live updates on all the latest rumours and done deals. Check out
Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has suggested it could be difficult for his club if Harry Kane follows an example set
Former Argentine footballer Diego Latorre.
(Photo: NORBERTO DUARTE/AFP/Getty Images)South American fan culture has its own set of problems