Guardiola confirms Mendy chat following tardiness

Benjamin Mendy had a face-to-face with Pep Guardiola after turning up late for treatment.

Published : Sep 28, 2018 19:57 IST

Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy
Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy
lightbox-info

Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has confirmed that he spoke with Benjamin Mendy after the injured France defender turned up late for treatment on Sunday.

The left-back is currently sidelined with a bruised metatarsal and was scheduled to see club medics for rehabilitation work but, having taken in the Anthony Joshua versus Alexander Povetkin fight on the Saturday night in London, failed to report on time.

It is not the first time that the former Marseille man has been rebuked during his time in England, with Guardiola requesting Mendy toned down his social media output in August.

READ: Klopp: Liverpool could have stopped Hazard's wonder goal

Having initially tried to pass off Mendy's tardiness as being due to traffic problems - "Manchester is under construction" - and claiming "most of the players have been late, they take their kids to school. They [the players] should be here, he knows it. I have spoken with him," Guardiola admitted.

The issue is a rare bump in the road for City, which has rebounded well from its shock Champions League defeat to Lyon with resounding away wins at Cardiff City and, in the EFL Cup, Oxford United.

Phil Foden, City's 18-year-old midfielder, stole the show at Oxford with a wonderful display and his first goal for the club, but Guardiola said that he was in the dark over reports City was planning on offering him a new contract.

ALSO READ:  Robertson reveals assist battle with Alexander-Arnold

"I don’t know, I haven’t spoken to [director of football] Txiki [Begiristain]. I think Phil would like to stay here and the club has no doubts about that. Hopefully, it will happen sooner rather than later."

"He's ready to play in any game, he's ready. But, he has to compete with his teammates and sometimes it's not possible."

Foden may struggle for game time against Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday after Guardiola confirmed that his squad had no new injury problems, while Belgium star Kevin De Bruyne is also expected to return to an element of team training "in the next few days".

ALSO READ:  Shaqiri surprised by substitution, but Klopp denies row

Former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss Guardiola is expecting a difficult afternoon against a Brighton side that he admires and warned his players that they must focus ahead of a week that features games against Hoffenheim and Liverpool.

"Of course, if they want to play against Hoffenheim and Liverpool they have to play every single day as well as possible," he said.

"I know what Brighton have done against Manchester United [a 3-2 win] and, at Anfield [against Liverpool], they were so close to getting the points."

ALSO READ:  Manchester United adaptation is going all right, said Fred

"They are a good side with a good manager. They have been together a long time and know what they have to do. They are really well organised in the back four, it will be a tough game."

City starts the weekend in second place in the Premier League table, two points behind leader Liverpool.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment