The first few months of Sergio Aguero's Barcelona career have not gone as he would have hoped.
The 33-year-old Argentine striker left reigning Premier League champions Manchester City in the summer with the intention of playing alongside long-time friend Lionel Messi at the Camp Nou.
That ambition, though, never had much of a chance of becoming a reality as Aguero had joined a club in crisis.
Within weeks of Aguero's arrival, Messi was no longer a Barcelona player. The Blaugrana were forced to part company with their greatest ever goalscorer as their perilous financial position meant that they could not offer him a new contract - even if he had agreed to play for free.
With his close pal and international colleague on his way to Paris Saint-Germain, things got worse for Aguero when he suffered a tendon injury in his right calf during pre-season, putting him out for 10 weeks before he had kicked a ball for Barca.
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Despite the setback, Aguero quickly resolved to work as hard as he could in the gym to improve his recovery speed. However, in a recent interview with Twitch streamer Ibai Llanos, Aguero revealed he has been taken aback by the philosophy of his new side when it comes to training, explaining that it is considerably more laid back than at his former club.
"At [Manchester] City we arrived an hour and a half before training and here half an hour before," said Aguero, per sport.es. "I said, well, I’ll come in at least an hour before and try and go to the gym or do some things, but nobody was there, it was all shut, dammit."
His frustration is entirely understandable, especially given that he is entering the final years of his career. With that said, for Aguero to be so openly critical of Barca's procedures is shocking.
Aguero hopes to return to action before the end of next month. Following the departure of Messi, Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman will surely be grateful for the availability of the five-time Premier League winner as soon as possible.
While the circumstances surrounding Messi's exit weren't explored in-depth during the interview, Aguero did confirm that he had turned down the chance to wear the six-time Ballon d'Or winner's famed number 10 jersey at Barca (an honour which has since been given to La Masia wonderkid Ansu Fati).
Aguero also gave brief thoughts on Messi's PSG debut against Reims, admitting that his pal will need a few weeks to get up to speed in Paris.
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"He was a bit lost on the pitch, but everything he touched he did well with."
That same challenge will face Aguero when he finally gets back to full fitness - if he can ever gain access to the Barcelona gym, that is!
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