Pep Guardiola has expressed his desire to work with a more streamlined squad at Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola has warned he could step down as Manchester City manager next season if the squad is too large, saying he finds it unbearable to regularly leave out a number of fit players.
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.
Despite this, Abdukodir Khusanov, Savinho, James McAtee, Claudio Echeverri, and Rico Lewis were all left out of the 20-man matchday squad.
Following a season in which injuries have taken a toll on Manchester City, striking the right squad balance appears challenging. However, Guardiola—who has consistently favoured working with a smaller group—insists that maintaining a streamlined squad remains a top priority.
“I told the club I don’t want a bigger squad,” Guardiola said. “I don’t want to leave five or six players out in the cold — I can’t do that. If the squad is too big, I will quit. Keep it smaller, and I’ll stay.
“It’s impossible for me, emotionally, to tell good players in the stands they can’t play,” he added. “Earlier this season, we didn’t even have enough defenders — we struggled to name a full XI. But now players are returning, and next season can’t be like this again.”
“As a manager, I can’t work with 24 players and leave four, five, or six at home every match,” Guardiola said. “That’s not going to happen. I told the club—I don’t want that.”
Despite this season’s injury setbacks — most notably Rodri’s long-term absence, with the midfielder making his first appearance since September as a second-half substitute on Tuesday — Guardiola insisted he would rather turn to academy players to fill gaps than expand the squad.
His stance means Manchester City will need to offload players before making any new signings in the upcoming transfer window.
“If we have injuries, that’s just bad luck — we’ll bring in academy players and manage,” Guardiola said.
“We can’t sustain the emotional strain on the club and the soul of the team. We’ve lost a bit of that connection this season.”
Guardiola addressed speculation surrounding Jack Grealish’s future, saying he has not personally discussed the matter with the player.
“We didn’t talk — I haven’t spoken with him,” Guardiola said. “People don’t believe me, but these matters are handled by the agents, the club, and Txiki — and in this case, Hugo as well. They will decide. Whatever happens, happens. But Jack needs to come back and start getting minutes again.”
With two years remaining on his contract, Grealish’s limited game time this season has raised questions, and Guardiola acknowledged the player’s frustration.
“It’s not just Jack,” he said. “There isn’t a single player in my dressing room — or in any dressing room around the world — who’s happy when they don’t play.
“When the team is winning, they try to understand the reasons, but deep down, they’re not satisfied. They’re here to play, and if they’re not, it’s normal to be unhappy. That’s football.”
