Guardiola rules out mass clearout of key players

Pep Guardiola says his veteran Manchester City stars have a key role to play in the club’s rebuild as he tries to recapture former glories after a chastening season.

Manchester City have just the FA Cup still to play for in terms of silverware after the collapse of their Premier League title defence and their Champions League defeat by Real Madrid. Guardiola’s team host second-tier Plymouth Argyle in the fifth round on Saturday.

The club have been criticised for not being quicker to renew an ageing squad that has delivered six out of the past seven Premier League titles. City made four signings in the January transfer window – Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Nico Gonzalez and Vitor Reis – illustrating the scale of the rebuild required following injuries and a loss of form for key players.

But Guardiola told his pre-match press conference on Friday that his experienced players would have an important role next season. “There are players here that are over 30 and they will be part of the future of this club,” he said on Friday. “Except Kevin (De Bruyne) – Kevin and the club will decide in the future – the others have contracts and next season I expect them to be here. They are going to help us.”

He added: “We cannot do it just with the new ones or the old ones. We have to be all together… It’s really, really important at the end of the season, the next season. I count with Gundo (Gundogan, 34), I count with Berni (Bernardo Silva, 30), I count with all the players that have a contract. They are there. I have no doubt about that.

Guardiola, whose team are trying to reach the FA Cup final for a third straight season, is refusing to take Plymouth Argyle lightly. The southcoast team, in the Championship relegation zone, shocked runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool in the fourth round.

“We played many times in the Carabao (League) Cup and the FA Cup against lower league teams and always they are tricky,” he said. “What these teams do, they do really well. And if you are not ready, you are in trouble. We have a chance to arrive in the last eight of the FA Cup again and we want to do it.”