Pep Guardiola ignores his key rule on captaincy to name Man City star in leadership group - as boss breaks silence on Jack Grealish's Club World Cup snubbing
Pep Guardiola broke his own managerial rules to appoint Erling Haaland as one of Manchester City 's captains for the season ahead in a significant show of faith in the superstar striker.
Haaland's leadership stock had continuingly grown over his three years at the Etihad Stadium and, with Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker leaving the club, City needed a shake-up.
Players and staff usually vote on a five-man leadership group in August but Guardiola has taken matters into his own hands.
The Catalan was left disappointed with how the captaincy was managed last term, with ex-skipper Walker departing for AC Milan in January.
Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva and Rodri are joining Haaland in the four as City start their defence of the Club World Cup against Wydad AC in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
'I'm the manager and for the first time in my career I decide the captains,' Guardiola said. 'I didn't like what happened last season and I decide who will represent the team.
'Sometimes I want to be the boss. This season I decided to do it, choose the four captains and after the tournament maybe we choose one or two more.
'Erling is incredibly well respected. He has to learn what it means to be a captain because he will hopefully be here for many years and sooner or later he will take that position to be the first one.
'When you have Bernardo, Rodri, Ruben and Gundogan – who was captain when we won the Treble - he will learn.
'The four will guide the new players. There will be problems this season, like any season, but it's more than fine.
'These four players on the pitch, they are huge personalities. They say, 'We cannot accept what is going on' and make the step up.'
Guardiola addressed Jack Grealish's omission from the 27-man squad taken to the United States.
Grealish is set to leave the club this summer, with Napoli among those monitoring his situation, and Guardiola reiterated his comments on the final day of the season when maintaining that the 29-year-old needs regular game time.
'He had a conversation with the club and they decided it was best,' Guardiola said. 'Jack is an exceptional player. The only reason why he didn't play last season is of course my decisions.
'We decide that he has to play. The club was honest, he was honest. We decide that the best thing is to stay (behind) and have a place that he can feel like he can come back to be the player like he was in the year of the Treble or all his career in Aston Villa.
'Without him it would have been more difficult in the year of the Treble. The fact is in the last two seasons he didn't play much minutes. He has to come back to play and have the butterflies in his stomach that he can play every three days, every three days and show again the quality he has.'
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