Yaya Toure’s future at Manchester City was plunged into further doubt on Monday after he was left out of Pep Guardiola’s 21-man squad for the Champions League clash with Steaua Bucharest.
Toure failed to make the bench for Saturday’s 2-1 defeat of Sunderland in City’s Premier League opener and will again play no part in the first leg of the play-off tie in Romania.
The Ivory Coast international was one of several high-profile City players that did not make an appearance against the Black Cats with Joe Hart an unused substitute and Eliaquim Mangala, Wilfried Bony and Samir Nasri not in the matchday squad.
Yaya Toure has been further marginalised by new Manchester City boss after he was left off the club’s trip to Romania for Tuesday’s crucial Champions League play-off with Steaua Bucharest.
Toure is the only player in City’s Champions League squad besides Jason Denayer who did not travel on Sunday. Club sources confirmed that the Ivory Coast star is not injured.
Toure was not even on the bench for Saturday’s opening Premier League game against Sunderland. The 33-year-old has entered the final year of his £250,000-a-week contract and is unlikely to sign a new deal even if one was offered by City.
Although Guardiola sanctioned Toure’s £24million move to City in 2011 when he was coach of Barcelona, it was claimed that he would be given a clean slate by the Spaniard.
But Guardiola’s decision to sideline the player even though new midfield signing Ilkay Gundogan is out for another month does not augur well for Toure’s prospects.
Asked about Toure on Saturday, Guardiola denied there were any personal issues saying: ‘I know Yaya from Barcelona, how he loves to play football, I know perfectly his quality, he knows the reason why today he was not on the list, because I speak sometimes with the players to say the reason why, and I know they’re so professional.
‘I saw, maybe we are a month and a half together, and in no training session they didn’t show me how good professionals, how good players they are. Not any. Every day was amazing.
‘But they train, we make many things and after I sit with my people, and I decide what is the best. So now because we maybe know I’m a little bit right. If we draw or lose maybe it’s a mistake, so I know how this is. But it’s not a personal problem about any player.’
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