Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has revealed his anger at two of his key players picking up injuries while playing for England in international friendlies towards the end of last season.
Right-back Kyle Walker has been ruled out of Wednesday's home match with against Sparta Prague in the Champions League after coming back from Three Lions duty last week with a knee problem.
England played two Nations League group games in the recent international break, with Walker an unused substitute in the first – a 2-1 loss to Greece – before playing the full game in a 3-1 win in Finland.
In March, England played two friendly matches at Wembley Stadium which saw Walker leave the pitch with a hamstring problem after 20 minutes in the 1-0 loss to Brazil, and fellow City defender John Stones limp off 10 minutes into a 2-2 draw with Belgium.
And Guardiola admitted he was left furious that the duo had picked up injuries with key games in the Premier League title race and City's bid to retain their Champions League crown coming up.
“I never was so angry like that moment – never ever before was I so disappointed,” the Spanish coach said on Tuesday.
“It was a friendly game. We were playing in the quarter-finals against Madrid, and in the Premier League to win it. For a friendly game, two players came back injured. I didn't like it at all.
“Before, when I was a football player, the manager of the national team called the managers from the clubs. Now nobody talks about how [the players] feel, how they are.
“I know they don’t want to get injured. Always, I encourage them to go to the national team. It’s a pleasure. But when there is a friendly game, you cannot come back injured. I’m sorry.”
Rodri, Oscar Bobb and Kevin De Bruyne are currently the other absentees for City. De Bruyne is the closest to returning and is back in training, but Guardiola said the midfielder still doesn’t feel right after sustaining a groin injury against Inter Milan in the Champions League last month.
With De Bruyne now 33 and susceptible to injuries in recent seasons, Guardiola said he wasn’t willing to take any risks with the Belgium playmaker.
“It’s not a big issue but he doesn’t feel completely fine,” Guardiola said. “Kevin is not 22 years old any more, he has to be fit for his football. He has to be completely fit and he doesn’t feel comfortable so he cannot express his incredible potential at his best. He said to me, ‘I still don’t feel good'. So take your time.”
City have taken four points from the opening two games in the revamped tournament after the goalless draw with Inter and a 4-0 thrashing of Slovan Bratislava. And Guardiola has set his team a target for reaching the next stage, adding that only the very best sides qualify directly for the knockout rounds.
“Every week they are incredible games,” he said ahead of the game against Sparta, who defeated RB Salzburg 3-0 and drew with Stuttgart in their opening two Champions League matches.
“We have more than 30 teams [in this year's competition] and only eight qualify [straight into the last-16], so I am pretty sure they will be top, top teams.
“The games we have at home we are going to have to close [out] otherwise it is going to be difficult to finish in the first eight. That is the target we want to achieve.
“The team have shown many times we are ready to forget the good or bad moments very quickly and be ready for the next game. We are in the Champions League against Sparta, who have the same points as us.
“They create a lot of problems [against Stuttgart]. I didn't know Sparta until the last two days when I started to watch them and I have a good impression.”
City are currently second in the Premier League, one point behind leaders Liverpool, after John Stones' injury-time header earned them a 2-1 win over Wolves at Molineux on Sunday. City face struggling Southampton at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
