Pep Guardiola has warned Manchester City’s ageing players that they may need to leave the club if they are no longer able to handle the physical demands of the increasing workload.
City have faced an injury crisis throughout the year, with recent fitness issues affecting key players like centre-backs Manuel Akanji and John Stones. This highlights the reason the club invested nearly £65m in signing Vitor Reis and Abdukodir Khusanov during the January transfer window.
In addition to the injuries, City are also dealing with an ageing squad—11 players will be over 30 by September—and Guardiola believes this group may struggle to compete with younger, fresher teams. For those who can no longer consistently play multiple games each week, Guardiola acknowledged it may be time to move on.
“That is a reality,” Guardiola said. “We have to sit down with the doctors, the physios, the players, and the agents, and be clear that some of them can’t sustain playing every three or four days, month after month.”
He added, “This is the reality. There’s one more year, then a World Cup.”
Kevin De Bruyne, who has struggled with injuries this season, was a focal point of the discussion. Despite being one of the best midfielders in the world, the 33-year-old was benched for the recent Champions League loss to Real Madrid and has started just 11 Premier League matches this season.
When asked why De Bruyne didn’t start, Guardiola bluntly responded, “It’s just a decision. It’s based on what I have seen – for a few reasons.”
He continued, “Also, Jeremy [Doku] didn’t play – the last time he played, against Ipswich, he was incredible, but then he got injured. But maybe, for the way we need to play and the physicality we lack, we need more control and not so much up-and-down.”
