Guardiola To Yaya Toure: Apologise Or Forget About Playing For Manchester City
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said Yaya Toure will not play for the club again until his agent apologises to him.
The Spanish coach was reacting to comments made by Toure’s agent Dimitri Seluk, who claimed that the midfielder had been “humiliated” and Guardiola should apologise to him if City do not win the competition.
Then Ivorian has made one appearance for City this season — the Champions League playoff second leg against Steaua Bucharest — and has not featured in the matchday squad for the seven other City fixtures.
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The 33-year-old alongside Spanish youngster Aleix Garcia were left out of City’s Champions League squad.
“It was so difficult for me to put [Toure] out in the Champions League — so difficult,” Guardiola told a news conference shortly after Toure announced his international retirement.
“I know him, I know he’s a good guy, but it was difficult for me as well to put Aleix Garcia out, [they are] the only two players that are out, because the list is the list.
“But the day after his agent spoke — in that moment — Yaya is out. Until Mr. Dmitri Seluk comes back in the press conference, or his friends in the media, he has the courage to call me, go to the media and say an apology to Manchester City, the first one, the second one is his teammates and after the trainer.
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“When that happens Yaya will be part of the group and he will have the same chance to play all the games. Because I cannot accept as a coach, every manager when his player doesn’t play goes to the media and speak and speak and speak. It depends.
“I know how Dmitri Seluk loves Yaya Toure, if he loves me, show me and make [an apology] to Manchester City [for] what he did in the [media],” he continued.
“I cannot imagine in my period when I was a football player, my manager going to the media and speaking against Johan Cruyff, about this and about that.
“Maybe it’s a new era now, the new period changing, but I’m an old guy. I am old generation, and old generation managers has to make his players his job and trainers his job, and today the managers believe they are more than they are.
“If he has a problem call [director of football] Txiki Begiristain, the club, and they can talk, until he doesn’t speak, Yaya is not going to play.”
Guardiola also ruled Toure out of Wednesday’s EFL Cup clash with Swansea City at the Etihad.
