Man City player reveals truth about relationship with Guardiola after ‘betrayal’ claim – ‘I had to leave’

Man City defender Joao Cancelo has rubbished claims that he had a fallout with Pep Guardiola but he has admitted that he “had to leave” in January.

Cancelo’s loan move to Bayern Munich during the January transfer window came as a shock as he has previously been an integral player for Man City.

This departure came about after he fell down the pecking order at the Etihad. The final straw came as he did not start against Arsenal in the FA Cup.

Following his exit, it was reported that

A separate report claimed that

But Cancelo has cleared things up himself and has insisted that these reports are a “complete lie”.

“It’s a lie that I had a fight with Guardiola, a complete lie. I didn’t feel important to the team in recent games. I spoke to the coach and he agreed. I, the coach and the club decided I had to leave, that it was the best option for me,” Cancelo insisted (via Manchester Evening News).

“I like new opportunities and have nothing against Manchester City; I took the step to reach the level I wanted to. I became the player I am and I’m very grateful to Pep and the club: they gave everything to me and my family and I’ll never forget it.”

When discussing Cancelo’s exit earlier this month, Guardiola refused to “say one bad word” about the full-back.

“He has been an incredible figure in the last two Premier Leagues we won but after the World Cup we made a ‘pre-season’ and started to play in a different way in some patterns,” Guardiola told reporters.

“I liked what I watched and I decided to give more time to players who I saw on the pitch who liked it.

“He is one of the players who trains the best but in this situation he didn’t play much in the last two or three games.

“We cannot say he didn’t play much (at all) because in the last years he was one of the players with the most minutes by far, (but) he is a guy who needs to play to be happy and we decided together, all three parties, to let him go to Munich.

“I think his work ethic, love for football, passion, his quality and skills… what can I say? Everyone knows it.”