Agent demands Guardiola ‘faces up’ to Yaya Toure questions

Yaya Toure: Linked again with Manchester City exit

Yaya Toure: Linked again with Manchester City exit

Yaya Toure’s agent Dimitri Seluk has questioned whether Pep Guardiola “has balls” and has challenged him to meet with him to say if the midfielder has a future at Manchester City.

It was announced on Monday that Guardiola would be leaving his post as Bayern Munich coach to replace Manuel Pellegrini as City manager at the end of the season, reuniting the Spaniard with Toure.

Guardiola managed Toure at Barcelona and was the manager who sanctioned the midfielder’s £24million sale to Manchester City in 2010.

Seluek has confirmed that he believes Toure will leave the Etihad Stadium after six successful years this summer, but distanced the 32-year-old from claims that such a decision was made immediately due to Guardiola’s arrival.

“I think Yaya will leave the club,” Seluk told The Sun. “But before leaving I hope he will win again the Premier League and all the cups.

“It’s not a question of whether Pep likes him or not. It’s life, you know. Pep can call Yaya and speak to him to let him know ‘I’m with you’ or ‘I am not with you’.”

Seluk then criticised Guardiola for leaving Barcelona after his failure to win La Liga in 2012 – the first and only time the Spaniard has failed to win a league title in his six full seasons as a manager.

“In my opinion, everyone who has balls must stay in a team not only when they are successful but when things are difficult,” he said.

“Barcelona win because it’s like a big family and their structure is an example for everybody. So it’s not a question of persons. Luis Enrique has done the same as Guardiola. It’s not possible to say forever it’s the team of Guardiola.”

Seluk then suggested that Toure had been instrumental in City’s appointments of Txiki Begiristain and Ferran Soriano as technical director and chief executive, with both arriving from Barcelona.

“Yaya opened the door for the people who worked for Barcelona. Yaya went to a place where many changes were necessary,” he said.

“He was not afraid. But now everybody from Barca comes to City.”