Pep threatens to end Yaya’s Manchester City career

Follow us on Google Discover

Yaya Toure has not made a single competitive appearance under Pep Guardiola for six years.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola with Yaya Toure as he is substituted as Raheem Sterling (L) prepares to come on

Pep Guardiola has threatened via Sky Sports to end Yaya Toure’s Manchester City career unless he apologises for criticisms levelled at the club by his agent Dimitri Seluk.

Seluk had last month claimed that Guardiola had ‘humiliated’ his client for failing to include him in the Champions League squad.

The four-time African Footballer of the Year has yet to make an appearance for City under Guardiola and his six-year stay would look to be coming to an end.

Despite BBC reporting interest from Inter Milan in the summer amidst the arrival of Guardiola at Eastlands, Toure stayed put with Seluk declaring that Toure would see out the remaining year of his contract.

Manchester City’s Yaya Toure in action with Steaua Bucharest’s Ovidiu Popescu

The Ivorian was expected to be included in Wednesday night’s EFL Cup clash with Swansea, but Guardiola has firmly stated he is ‘not in the team’.

The former Barcelona boss has claimed that while it was ‘so difficult’ to exclude him from the Champions League squad, he ‘cannot accept’ agents demanding when their clients should play.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Guardiola said “Go to the media and apologise to Manchester City – the first one – the second one his team-mates, and after the trainer. When that happens, Yaya will be part of the group.”

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola

Guardiola went on to claim that agents ‘believe they are more than they are’, and that Seluk should contact Manchester City director Txiki Begiristain if there is a problem.

“Until he doesn’t speak, Yaya is not going to play.” he said.

The news comes in the wake of Toure’s international retirement, where he penned a heartfelt letter to the Ivory Coast to end his 12-year playing association with Les Elephants.

Toure has made over 250 appearances for Manchester City since Guardiola sold him from Barcelona in 2010, winning two league titles and the club’s Player of the Year award in 13/14.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola as Wilfried Bony and Yaya Toure are substituted