Culling Of Man City Needs To Be Done For Club's Own Good, Says Pep Guardiola

News18

5 hours ago

Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola announced on Saturday that the club will have to sell players this summer for the benefit of the stars themselves.
The Premier League team acquired several new players ahead of the Club World Cup, resulting in a large squad for Guardiola to manage.
Midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has recently been linked with a transfer to Turkish side Galatasaray.
Guardiola stated he was unaware of this rumour but confirmed that several players would need to be sold following the additions of Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, and Rayan Ait-Nouri.
'I would love to keep all the players we have now for the entire season," Guardiola told reporters in Atlanta.
'The problem is they will be unhappy during the season, they will be sad, they will be disappointed.
'I don't want that. I am doing this for them, not for myself. We have to see what happens; it's a long time until the transfer window closes. We need to take it step by step."
Guardiola has previously mentioned that he prefers a squad of around 20 senior players, whereas City currently have more than 30.
Before reducing the squad size, City aim to win the Club World Cup in the United States, with the new arrivals bringing fresh energy.
They defeated Wydad AC in their first match and will face Al Ain on Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where they can secure qualification to the last 16.
Guardiola mentioned that Spanish defensive midfielder Rodri would not start the game as he continues his recovery from injury.
'He's improving. He can play 20 minutes, 30 minutes at a time. He wants to help, but we need to protect his knee," said the coach.
Guardiola also said he was keen to take City far in the Club World Cup and it was a 'privilege to be here".
The coach dismissed some of the complaints about the competition and pointed towards the attitude of the South American clubs as an example to follow.
'I love when I see Botafogo, all the Brazilian teams, Argentinian teams, how they celebrate, how they are together, I love them," said Guardiola.
'I like how all the games are tight, except one or two, and people are surprised, European teams lose. Welcome to the real world, my friends."
(with inputs from agencies)