“I didn’t want to stay at Manchester City” – Defender opens up on Pep Guardiola disagreements prior to exit | OneFootball

Former Manchester City defender and current Portugal international Joao Cancelo has opened up on the manner of his exit from the club during the last summer market.

The versatile defender rapidly became a fan favourite among Manchester City supporters upon joining the club from Juventus ahead of the 2019/20 season, operating in numerous roles and bringing attacking quality into the final third from defence.

Cancelo’s game was largely in stark contrast to what supporters had become accustomed to through Kyle Walker, with the England international more known for his recovery work and excellence in one-versus-one defensive scenarios.

However, the eventual Treble-winning season of 2022/23 brought complications between Cancelo and staff, ultimately leading to the player securing a loan move to Bayern Munich until the end of the season and opening the door for accelerated progression from Rico Lewis.

Some believed that a large part of the reasoning behind Joao Cancelo’s exit was due to a training ground argument with manager Pep Guardiola, although that has not been entirely confirmed by anyone present.

Now, speaking during a recent interview with Channel 11 and relayed by The Mirror, Joao Cancelo was keen to praise his former manager at Manchester City, despite reports indicating disagreements between Guardiola and the versatile defender.

“We had differences, not a clash, we had different opinions,” Cancelo admitted. “I have a very strong personality and so does he (Pep Guardiola), but he’s the one in charge. Each of us took our own paths, but I thank God for having worked with him.”

The Portuguese full-back continued, “I felt important in this group. He made me grow as a person and as a player. He’s a genius, a world leader in coaching.

“The best moments of my career were at Manchester City. I went to training and matches enjoying myself.

“But I didn’t want to stay at Manchester City, and they didn’t want me to stay either. So there were several reasons for me to go to Al Hilal.”

After a second successive loan spell, this time to FC Barcelona in La Liga, no third temporary agreement would be signed off by Manchester City last summer despite limited interest from clubs in taking Cancelo on a permanent deal.

Ultimately, the finances of Saudi Arabia proved decisive for all parties involved and Manchester City would sell the Portugal star to Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League for a fee reported to be around £21.2 million.