MANCHESTER -- Pep Guardiola says that Vincent Kompany's "head is not ready" after two seasons of persistent injury setbacks.
The Manchester City boss revealed that the defender was left out his matchday squad for the Champions League game against Barcelona on Wednesday because he told him he was not fit.
And Guardiola says the club must take care of him after missing out on so much football because of his recent problems with muscle injuries.
The 30-year-old has started just one game this season in the EFL Cup on Sept. 21, but left the pitch late in the game after picking up a groin injury.
He was used as a late substitute against Everton four days before the 4-0 defeat to Barcelona in the Nou Camp and travelled to Spain with the first team but was left out of the 18-man matchday squad.
Kompany has been dogged by muscle injuries in recent seasons suffering five separate problems last campaign, which restricted him to just 20 starts from 59 games. He also played only 31 games of the 51 matches in 2014-15.
Injuries left the Belgium international out of the European Championships with his country after a thigh strain that ruled him out for four months.
Guardiola told a news conference ahead of City's match with Southampton on Sunday that he had considered recalling Kompany to his starting lineup for the game with Barca, but the City captain told him he wasn't ready.
"What happened in the last two years I don't know, we are working on that with the doctors," the City boss said.
"So I thought two or three days ago for Camp Nou, maybe for his personality, maybe he can do that, but one day after, in the training session here he said 'I didn't feel like this.'
"At this moment his head is not ready after what happened the last two years to keep him out.
"I don't want to put a lot of pressure about how many games we want him to play or set big, big targets.
"So just try to train good and after a week of training no injuries, we'll play a game, and after that another one. And after that we'll see.
"But I think when he's trying to play one game and after another one, he'll take a lot of confidence. Maybe he'll be able to play a few games."