Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has clarified his comments about leaving the club unless they trim down his squad for next season.
Guardiola generally likes to work with a tight-knit group where almost everyone gets regular game time, so there are no unhappy players in the dressing room. That is no longer the case at Man City, though, especially after the January arrivals of Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis.
City brought in that quartet during the January transfer window after injuries contributed to an awful run of form between early November and Boxing Day.
While Guardiola loves the fact he has the full backing of the club’s hierarchy, he does not like leaving players out of matchday squads altogether.
Savinho, Khusanov, Rico Lewis, Claudio Echeverri and James McAtee all failed to make the cut when City beat Bournemouth 3-1 on Tuesday.
Earlier this week, Guardiola was asked about the issue by reporters. He replied: “I said to the club I don’t want that [a bigger squad]. I don’t want to leave five or six players in the freezer. I don’t want that. I will quit. Make a shorter squad, I will stay.
“It’s impossible for my soul to [tell] my players in the tribune that they cannot play.
“Now it happened to add players immediately. Maybe for three or four months, we couldn’t select 11 players, we didn’t have defenders, it was so difficult. After, people come back but next season it cannot be like that.
“As a manager, I cannot train 24 players and every time I select I have to have four, five, six, stay in Manchester at home because they cannot play. This is not going to happen. I said to the club I don’t want that.”
Ahead of City’s final league game of the season against Fulham, Guardiola was asked to shed more light on his future plans at the Etihad.
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‘I’m not going to quit’ – Pep Guardiola
“I was laughing when I said that, I’m not going to quit,” the 54-year-old said (via the MEN).
“But the expression is the same, I don’t want players at home with their families when the team is playing. Everyone needs the chance to play and compete for the best of all of us, that is the most important thing.”
Guardiola continued: “It is not healthy. For any of us, for them especially, for the club, me, anyone. The club knows it and the club completely agrees with me, so we’re going to find the best way for all of us.”
In his earlier comments, Guardiola said he would simply rely on the academy if senior players get injured in his smaller squad.
Guardiola’s statements confirm that City will offload several players in the summer. Kevin De Bruyne’s contract will not be renewed and he could be followed out of the club by the likes of McAtee, Bernardo Silva, John Stones and Ederson.
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