Pep Guardiola has shared the reason why one former Manchester City player had to leave the club.
Since the Spaniard was appointed as City’s manager back in 2016, many players have made moves in and out of the club.
Now though, with the 53-year-old in the midst of his eighth season in charge of the Blues, he has shared some behind-the-scenes details on why one former City figure was moved on.
Guardiola shares why former City player had to leave
Speaking in his latest press conference ahead of tomorrow’s match against Aston Villa, Guardiola had this to say about why Douglas Luiz was moved out of the club instead of becoming part of the senior squad.
He said: “Because of a [lack of] work permit, it was not possible [for him] to be with us. He had to make steps so he went [on loan] to Girona and now he’s settled perfectly at Villa, so I’m happy for him.”
Back in the 2017 summer transfer window, City signed the midfielder from Vasco De Gama on a five-year deal when he was at the age of 19.
After spending two years on loan at Girona, the Brazilian was sold to Villa in the 2019 summer transfer window in a deal worth £15m.
Since then, the midfielder, who Jermaine Pennant said is better than Declan Rice back in December, has gone on to make 194 appearances for Unai Emery’s side across all competitions, scoring 22 goals and supplying 24 assists along the way.
Having featured in all but one of Villa’s games in all competitions this season, this highlights how much of an important player the 25-year-old is for his current side.
Now that Guardiola has shared why Luiz was unable to stay at City in addition to how pleased that he is now a key figure at Villa, this showcases how an unfortunate spell as a City player eventually ended up positively for the midfielder.
Looking ahead to tomorrow’s game between the two sides, it will be interesting to see how the Brazil international fares playing against the side that initially brought him to England.
