Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo has denied that there is any bad blood between him and Pep Guardiola and simply left for Bayern Munich in January because the Citizens coach felt that he did not 'deserve' to play.
The Portugal international has thrived in a versatile role for Man City since leaving Juventus in 2019, but his influence waned in the first half of the 2022-23 campaign.
Cancelo still managed one goal and five assists from 24 games in the Premier League and Champions League, but the emergence of Rico Lewis forced the 28-year-old into a more peripheral role.
However, news of Cancelo's loan move to Bayern Munich in the January transfer window still came as a shock, and it was speculated that the defender's exit was triggered by a falling out with Guardiola.
The full-back has since blasted such reports as "lies" and set the record straight in an interview with Portuguese outlet O Jogo, claiming that the decision for him to go was a mutual one.
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"As I already said, he found a way to play, after the World Cup, in which he started playing with a full-back more inside, where I also played, and he liked what he saw with Rico [Lewis] and Nathan [Ake]," Cancelo explained.
"But I think a player is always a bit selfish. Any player wants to feel important, wants to play and anyone who says otherwise is lying. A competitive player, like me, who aspires to win titles, just wants to play.
"It's not a question of devaluing my team-mates. But I thought I deserved to play and he didn't. So we talked, it was a conversation, not a discussion, and we decided that the best thing would be for me to leave this market. An opportunity I couldn't refuse. It was by mutual agreement.
'If City didn't want to, they wouldn't let me leave, because I had a contract. I'm very professional, I've always given my face for all the clubs. I have a difficult personality, yes, but I have never, at any time, disrespected team-mates or coaches."
Cancelo has made a fast start to life in Bayern colours, producing two assists from five appearances in all competitions, and his loan agreement includes an option to make the deal permanent for €70m (£61.6m).
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However, the Bavarians' sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has admitted that it will be difficult for his side to meet that clause, telling Bild: "After the transfer was done, we actually thought again about how long we've been dealing with Joao.
"We came up with more than four years. Either our position was filled or we didn't have the money for it. We're playing with open cards. This sum is difficult for us to imagine in the next few years.
"If all sides really want a common solution, you can manage that in the end. He knows that he has been one of our dream players for years."
Cancelo's contract at the Etihad Stadium is not due to expire until the summer of 2027, and he has recorded nine goals and 22 assists from 154 games in a Man City shirt over the past three-and-a-half years.
Ben Knapton
