Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has stated that he will postpone any decisions regarding Joao Cancelo until the conclusion of the season.
Cancelo has been sidelined from City’s lineup since January 2023 due to a disagreement with Guardiola. Subsequently, he was loaned to Bayern Munich and then to Barcelona.
However, Cancelo has faced harsh criticism during his time at Barcelona, particularly for notable errors in matches against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and Real Madrid in La Liga.
“We’ll see at the end of the season,” Guardiola told a press conference when asked whether Cancelo had a future at the club.
Cancelo has experienced three significant incidents during his time at City. Shortly after his arrival from Juventus in 2019, the Portuguese expressed frustration over Guardiola’s preference for Kyle Walker at right-back.
In 2020, Sporting director Txiki Begiristain intervened to encourage Cancelo’s greater engagement in training.
Then, in late 2022, Cancelo was reportedly distracted during team meetings, even listening to music on his headphones while Guardiola was speaking. Despite these challenges, Cancelo remains under contract at City until 2027, signing a lucrative deal in 2022 before being loaned out to Bayern.
His loan spell with Barcelona is set to conclude at the end of this season, but he has expressed a desire to stay at the Catalan club for two or three more years.
City will face Brighton on Thursday with the aim of regaining their position in the Premier League title race, especially after Arsenal’s 5-0 victory over Chelsea extended their lead at the top of the table.
City face Brighton on Thursday looking to reclaim their grip on the Premier League title race after Arsenal hammered Chelsea 5-0 to extend their lead at the top of the table.
Guardiola said: “I can’t think past Brighton, trying to figure out how they are. I know with Roberto how we need to find the weakness, it will be really tough, they’ll test us in ways we are not used to. We have to be strong – it might be the toughest game. not saying the others are not but the way they play is so difficult and we have to be ready.”