adminYaya Toure has revealed he came close to quitting Manchester City this summer but stayed out of loyalty to Manuel Pellegrini. The midfielder has been a driving force behind the club’s ascent to the top of the Barclays Premier League this season. But he only stayed put after manager Pellegrini helped him cope with the death of his younger brother Ibrahim last year.
In a book called ‘Pellegrini’s Methods’, Toure said: ‘I’ve stayed because of Manuel. He always talks to me, giving me some piece of advice. He has been aware of my life off the pitch. ‘He has been like a father to me in difficult moments. I have never felt like that with another coach. Before this season, all the players had a talk and we promised the boss we would recover our level.
‘We had to do it for him, for us and for the fans — we have to win important things this season.’ City won the title in 2014 but were knocked off their perch by Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea last May. And Pellegrini admits he was to blame for the failure.
‘I failed last season because I wasn’t able to keep the competitive spirit inside the team,’ he said in the same book. ‘This hunger of triumph is fundamental in order to get results. It was clearly my responsibility. – DAILY MAIL
Online Reporter