Pep Guardiola has claimed he would quit as Manchester City boss if he is given too big a squad next season because he cannot bear to leave a large number of fit players out.
City will go into the summer looking to rebuild an ageing team, with several senior players candidates to follow Kevin De Bruyne out of the door after the Belgian played his final City home game in Tuesday’s 3-1 win over Bournemouth.
However, Abdukodir Khusanov, Savinho, James McAtee, Claudio Echeverri and Rico Lewis all missed out on the 20-player matchday squad.
After a season when injuries have hit City hard, getting the right balance of numbers looks a difficult one, but Guardiola – who has always preferred using a smaller group – said keeping things tight remains a priority for him.
“I said to the club I don’t want that [a bigger squad],” Guardiola said. “I don’t want to leave five or six players in the freezer. I don’t want that. I will quit. Make a shorter squad, I will stay.
“It’s impossible for my soul to [tell] my players in the tribune that they cannot play.
“Now it happened to add players immediately. Maybe for three or four months, we couldn’t select 11 players, we didn’t have defenders, it was so difficult. After, people come back but next season it cannot be like that.
“As a manager, I cannot train 24 players and every time I select I have to have four, five, six, stay in Manchester at home because they cannot play. This is not going to happen. I said to the club I don’t want that.”
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Highlights from the Premier League match between Manchester City and Bournemouth
Despite the injury problems suffered this season – most notably the long-term absence of Rodri, who made his first appearance since September as a second-half substitute on Tuesday night – Guardiola said he would rather make up the numbers with academy players.
His assertion means City will have to trim numbers before bringing in any new faces in the next transfer window.
“If I have injuries, unlucky, we have some players for the academy and we do it,” he said.
“[We] cannot sustain for the emotion of the club, the soul of the team, [to] create another connection with each other that this season we lost it a bit.”
Does Pep now regret January spending?
Man City spent heavily in January amid an injury crisis during the winter period after Guardiola had called for signings.
On December 26, he said: “If we can, we have to add players, definitely. We struggle, especially in the back, in the middle.
“Saying that, I don’t know what’s going to happen. Because in the transfer window in winter, it’s not easy. But everybody’s aware.
“I think even the players asked us, ‘We are going to add some players, please’.”
How big is Man City’s squad?
City’s website lists 28 members of the first-team squad, plus four who are out on loan. Premier League sides can name a 25-man squad, but teams can also include U21 players, who are eligible over and above the squad limit.
Chelsea’s official website lists 31 players in their squad, with 21 others out on loan. Brighton and Tottenham list 29, while Wolves name 30 on their squad list.
Arsenal have just 24 players and champions Liverpool, Aston Villa, Everton and Nottingham Forest all have squads of 25.
Pep: Grealish decision to come at end of season
Guardiola has said a decision will be made on Jack Grealish’s future at the end of the season.
The England international, signed for £100m four years ago, has fallen down the pecking order at the Etihad Stadium since his starring role in the 2023 treble-winning campaign.
The 29-year-old has made just seven Premier League starts this term and was not summoned from the bench during Saturday’s FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace.
That fuelled speculation he could move on this summer, but Guardiola insists nothing has yet been determined and discussions will take place between outgoing director of football Txiki Begiristain, his successor Hugo Viana and the player’s representatives.
Jack Grealish has barely featured for Man City this season
Guardiola said: “We didn’t talk, I didn’t talk with him. People don’t believe me, but these things belong to the agents and the club and Txiki, and in this case Hugo as well. Both will decide.
“What is going to happen will happen, but he has to come back to start to play minutes again.”
Guardiola accepts Grealish, who has two years remaining on his contract, will not be happy about his lack of action.
He said: “It’s not [only] Jack. There is not one player in my locker room, and I think all the locker rooms around the world, that is happy [when they] do not play.
“When the team is winning and winning they have to figure out how everything happens – but they are not happy.
“They are here to play and, when they don’t play, they are not satisfied. That is the normal position in all the clubs.”
Your views: Who should leave Man City?
Jamey: Pep should refresh the squad. Players like Doku, Grealish, Gundogan, and Bernardo need to move on. Out with the old, in with the new!
Sean: Pep can’t get a tune out of Grealish or Foden this year. Two clearly world-class 10s that can fill the De Bruyne hole. Surely the manager should shoulder a lot of blame for their ineffective seasons.
Dazza K: I think for Grealish, it is the right time to move on. I feel he hasn’t really been able to play with the freedom he had at Villa. I think he’d make a great option for Spurs in the 10 role or maybe James McAtee, I think he has bags of potential.
Adamjames1212: I think Ederson’s drop-off over the last few years and his less-than-stellar save numbers haven’t really been talked about. I think it would be best to continue the defensive rebuild by moving him on.
Sky Sports to show 215 live PL games from next season
From next season, Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage will increase from 128 matches to at least 215 games exclusively live.
And 80 per cent of all televised Premier League games next season are on Sky Sports.
