Premier League: Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola shocked by Fernandinho’s exit announcement

Manchester
City’s Fernandinho has revealed that he will leave the champions at the end of the
season. The
Brazilian will end a nine-year career in May because he wishes to return to his
homeland and play more regularly. When asked if he would sign a new deal
and extend his stay, he said: “I don’t think so. Yes, I want to play more; I
will go back to Brazil. I decided with my family, which is the most important
thing for me. And some people in the club know it.”

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However,
Pep Guardiola was unaware of the decision. “I didn’t know it,” he said. “You
gave me the news. We will see what will happen at the end of the season. I said
many times we will see what happens.”

Pep hinted
at Txiki Begiristain, City’s sporting director privy to the news and
insisted that the player has no ulterior motives announcing the decision the
way he did. “Maybe Txiki knows it and didn’t tell me,” Guardiola said. “I don’t
know. It is a surprise for me; I will say to him [Txiki]: ‘What happened?’ But
I know his [Fernandinho’s] intentions. Another player would do it for his
benefit. Knowing Ferna, it will not be this.”

Fernandinho
later tweeted: “I was 100% honest and spontaneous in answering that question at
today’s press conference. But anyone who knows me also knows that my greatest
honesty is with Man City and my duties as team captain.”

The City
player has seen his appearances reduce to only 11 starts this season, four of
which came this year. He is unlikely to make the starting XI for Wednesday’s
Champions League quarter-final second leg at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium.

City
defender Ruben Dias will travel to Spain after recovering from a hamstring
injury that has ruled him out since last month.