Guardiola angry: «In my time, the coaches called the clubs…»

Manchester City manager criticised lack of communication between national teams and clubs over players’ fitness

Kyle Walker has suffered a knee injury during his time with England. The full-back felt pain after playing 90 minutes against Finland (1-3) in the Nations League , underwent tests and is confirmed out of Manchester City’s Champions League game against Sparta Prague on Wednesday .

Citizens coach Pep Guardiola reacted to the player’s injury and criticised the lack of communication between the national team and club coaches: «Before, when I was a player, the national team coach would call the clubs, now nobody talks. How the players feel, how they are… maybe the physios talk, but the coaches never do.»

“In the first or second season with Gareth [Southgate], yes, but not now. Only Ronald Koeman [the Netherlands coach ], because he is a friend of mine. I know that the players don’t want to get injured, I always encourage them to go to the national team, it’s a pleasure, but if it’s a friendly game they can’t come back injured, I’m sorry,” said the Spaniard.

Guardiola admitted he was frustrated by the number of injuries suffered by international players, recalling his anger at the injury suffered by John Stones , who played in two friendlies in March and only started one other Premier League game this season: “We are well paid here, it is the club that pays us, not the national teams. Sometimes you have to respect the clubs. In friendlies you can’t get injured. You can play, of course, but you can’t come back injured.”

“I have never been so angry as I was in that moment. I have never been so disappointed. It was a friendly game and we were going to play in the quarter-finals against Real Madrid and to win the Premier League . For a friendly game, two players returning injured… I didn’t like it at all,” he concluded.