Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says he will not pick Yaya Toure until he apologises to the club and his team-mates for comments made by his agent.
Toure is yet to play for his old Barcelona boss Guardiola at City and was last month left out of the club’s Champions League squad.
That omission prompted public criticism from Dimitri Seluk, who said the four-time African Footballer of the Year had been left humiliated by Guardiola’s decision.
There was speculation Toure might return to the side for Wednesday night’s EFL Cup tie with Swansea, but speaking at his press conference ahead of the game Guardiola said: “He’s not in the team.”
The 33-year-old, who called time on his Ivory Coast career on Tuesday, has only featured once for City this season in the Champions League play-off second leg against Steaua Bucharest.
And ahead of Wednesday night’s EFL Cup tie with Swansea, Guardiola made it plain that will not change unless his terms are met.
He said: “It was so difficult for me to put him out of the Champions League, so difficult. I know him, I know he’s a good, good guy, but the list is the list.
“But the day after his manager [agent] spoke, and from that moment Yaya is out.
“Go to the media and apologise to Manchester City – the first one – the second one his team-mates and, after, the trainer. When that happens Yaya will be part of the group and he will have the same chance to play all the games.
“I cannot accept as a coach every manager [agent], when his player doesn’t play, goes to the media and speaks and speaks and speaks.
“I cannot imagine in my period when I was a football player, my manager [agent] going to the media and speaking against [then Barcelona boss] Johan Cruyff, about this and about that.
“Maybe it’s a new era now, the new period changing, but I’m an old guy. I am old generation, and an old generation manager has to make his players his job and trainers his job.
“Today the managers believe they are more than they are. If he has a problem call [City director of football] Txiki Begiristain, the club, and they can talk. Until he doesn’t speak, Yaya is not going to play.”
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