Sunday 30 July 2017 08:34, UK
Pep Guardiola has paid tribute to Manchester City winger Samir Nasri but says his future at the club is up to him and his representatives.
Nasri spent last season on loan in Spain with Sevilla, making 23 appearances in a 2016/17 campaign that was disrupted by injury and an anti-doping investigation he is still awaiting the results of.
But the France international is with City on their summer trip to the United States and came off the bench for the last 30 minutes of their 3-0 win over Tottenham on Saturday night in Nashville.
Afterwards Guardiola praised Nasri's pre-season efforts but hinted he would find it tough to secure a regular role in City's Premier League line-up, a situation that also applies to defender Eliaquim Mangala, and said it was down to him and his team to decide what he wants to do next.
"He knows the situation," Guardiola said. "We have a lot of midfield players, so we're going to see.
"It is like [Eliaquim] Mangala. That's a decision they have to take with their managers [representatives], but we take care of them when they are here, just like we take care of every player, from Brahim Diaz to Vincent Kompany.
"The past isn't important, it is all about tomorrow.
"We wanted to keep [Nasri] last pre-season but he decided to go to Sevilla and I like to work with the guys who want to work with us.
"But I saw him in these three games and his spirit in the training sessions. Still I'm waiting for a bad performance from him. He's a guy who has unbelievable ability to keep the ball in small spaces. The ball is safe. He has his own special quality."
Guardiola also expects striker Kelechi Iheanacho to leave City before the transfer window slams shut.
"I think Kelechi is going to leave, for Leicester," Guardiola added. "I think so, but I don't want to say something wrong. We will see. If it doesn't happen, he will be part of the group."
