Man City squad must be trimmed: Guardiola

ATLANTA: Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola said Saturday his club will have to sell players this summer for the stars’ own good. The Premier League side brought in several players ahead of the Club World Cup, leaving Guardiola with a large squad.

Midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has been linked with a move to Turkish side Galatasaray in recent days. Guardiola said he did not know anything about it, but said several players would have to be sold following the purchases of Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki and Rayan Ait-Nouri.

“I will love to have the players we have right now all 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 do it for them, not for me. For them. We have to see what happens, it’s a long time until the transfer window will be closed, we have to see step by step.” Guardiola has said in the past he prefers a squad size of around 20 senior players, whereas City have more than 30 at present.

Before trimming the squad City are hoping to win the Club World Cup in the United States with their new arrivals providing fresh energy. They beat Wydad AC in their first match and face Al Ain on Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium where they can seal qualification to the last 16.

Guardiola said Spanish defensive midfielder Rodri was not able to start the game as he continues his comeback from injury. “He’s getting better. He can play 20 minutes, 30 minutes at a time. He wants to play to help but we want to protect his knee,” said the coach.

Guardiola 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 of 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.