Manager Pep Guardiola of Manchester City gives instructions to Joao Cancelo of Manchester City during the friendly match between FC Barcelona and Manchester City
The 29-year-old made the surprise loan move to Bayern Munich last season after falling out of favour with Guardiola.
Speaking after Cancelo’s exit, Guardiola made it clear that the Portuguese defender refused to accept being dropped from City’s starting side.
‘Everyone has his own character. He loves to play, he trains the best and in this situation he didn’t play much in the last few games,’ Guardiola said.
‘He needs to play to be happy and we decided together for all three parties to let him move. He wants to play every single game and hopefully he can have that in Munich.’
But when asked how he reacted to Guardiola’s claim that he was unhappy at being axed, Cancelo told A Bola: ‘Lies were told!
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‘I’ve never been a bad teammate for them and you can ask either [Nathan] Ake or Rico [Lewis]. I don’t have any superiority or inferiority complex towards them, but that’s the manager’s opinion.’
‘I think Man City were a bit ungrateful to me when they said that, because I was a very important player in the years I was there,’ Cancelo said.
‘I never failed in my commitment to the club, to the fans and I always gave everything.
‘I remember a time when I was robbed and attacked and the next day I was playing at the Emirates against Arsenal. These are things you don’t forget, I left my wife and daughter alone at home, terrified.
‘People will only remember this because Mister Guardiola has much more strength than me when he says something and I prefer to keep to myself.
‘I prefer to know that I am telling the truth, I feel fulfilled with what I did. I am a transparent person, I never lie.
‘Life goes on and I wish everything goes well, because while I was there I enjoyed my football and the team. They remain the favourite team to win the Champions League.’
