Pep Guardiola tells Yaya Toure to apologise for agent’s comments or give up on his Manchester City career
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has warned Yaya Toure that he will continue to omit the midfielder from his plans unless he apologises for an outburst made by his agent.
Guardiola, who swiftly axed England goalkeeper Joe Hart after taking charge this summer, said Toure had so far lacked the “courage” to speak to him about the comments.
Toure’s representative Dimitri Seluk criticised Guardiola this month after the City boss left the 33-year-old out of his 25-man squad for the Champions League.
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“A manager has to make his job. If he has a problem he should speak to people at the club,” said Guardiola.
“I cannot imagine when I was a player that my manager [agent] would go to the media and speak against [former Barcelona coach] Johan Cruyff and say about this and that.”
Seluk accused Guardiola of “humiliating” Toure, who has made just one appearance under the Spaniard.
He added: “If he wins the Champions League for City this season then I will travel to England and I will say on television that Pep Guardiola is the best manager in the world.”
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager has made a perfect start to his tenure, winning his first eight matches.
He has also shown a ruthless streak, sending Hart out on loan to Torino and discarding one of the club’s most influential players of recent years in Toure.