Search icon

Football

28th Jul 2016

Pep Guardiola confirms that Samir Nasri’s pre-season absence is down to his weight

Not his hairstyle then?

Darragh Murphy

The Premier League has lost a Big Sam but gained a Big Samir.

According to new Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, Samir Nasri did not arrive in shape for pre-season training.

Supporters were left curious who Gael Clichy was referring to when he admitted that Guardiola had prevented some City players from training with the first team due to weight issues.

Guardiola was asked about the subject after City’s penalty shootout victory over Borussia Dortmund in the International Champions Cup on Thursday.

And he didn’t hesitate in dropping the name of the main culprit as he revealed that it was French midfielder Nasri who was carrying too much timber for Guardiola’s liking.

Manchester City Pre-game Training & Press Conference

“Samir arrived a little bit overweight but he’s much, much better now,” Guardiola said.

“Still there is a little bit of weight. Last season he was injured and we want to avoid that.”

Listen to our GAA podcast with Colm Parkinson. Click here to subscribe on iTunes.