Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has hinted at a possible reconciliation with Joao Cancelo, confirming that the Portuguese defender is currently training with the team.
Cancelo, who is under contract with City until 2027, has not played for the club since January 2023 after a reported fallout with Guardiola. He spent the last season on loan, first at Bayern Munich and then at Barcelona.
“He’s training with us. We will see, maybe he’ll stay, maybe go on loan. I don’t know yet. He’s behaving really well in the training sessions. He loves to play football. We will see,” Guardiola said during a press conference. When asked if Cancelo could stay with City for the upcoming season, Guardiola responded, “It could happen, yeah.”
Cancelo was one of City’s standout players during their Premier League title wins in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons.
However, his relationship with Guardiola reportedly deteriorated after he was dropped from the starting lineup following the World Cup.
According to reports, Cancelo wore headphones and listened to music during one of Guardiola’s pre-match team talks, leading the coach to request his departure from the team by the end of the transfer window.
Cancelo had a mixed spell on loan at Barcelona, performing well initially but making notable mistakes in key games, including defeats to Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.
Although Cancelo was not included in City’s squad for the Community Shield against Manchester United, there is speculation that he could be part of the squad for City’s Premier League opener against Chelsea on Sunday.
City is currently dealing with injuries to key players, including Oscar Bobb, who is out for up to four months with a bone injury, and Rodri, who is unavailable as he has just returned to training.
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