- Man City have fell well below their usual standards on the pitch this season
- Pep Guardiola insisted both he and the players do not deserve annual bonuses
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Are Liverpool fans right to lambast Trent Alexander-Arnold?
Pep Guardiola insisted that Manchester City’s stars are not deserving of any bonuses this season – even if they lift the Club World Cup.
City head to Bournemouth on Sunday striving to reach a seventh consecutive FA Cup semi final but have a battle to qualify for next year’s Champions League after an indifferent campaign.
The Club World Cup, held in America across June and July, has a potential prize pot of £97million for the winners – based on a number of factors – and would swell the coffers for a summer transfer spend.
City, who offer seven-figure bonuses to Guardiola and his top players for winning the Champions League, would pay out handsomely for victory in America.
‘We don’t deserve it this season,’ Guardiola said. ‘We don’t deserve a bonus this season. Bonus if we win is for the club. Managers, staff, players we don’t deserve it. Not even a watch.’
The current holders, City face Wydad, Al Ain and Juventus in their Club World Cup group and could meet Real Madrid in the early knockout rounds.
Pep Guardiola claimed both he and his Man City team are not deserving of their end of season bonuses
City are on course for their worst finish since the former Barcelona boss took charge in 2016
Guardiola also admitted he is no clearer on where club captain Kevin De Bruyne’s future lies
Guardiola admitted that the Premier League champions are still in the dark as to Kevin De Bruyne’s next move, with the talisman out of contract at the end of the season.
City would have to negotiate a two-week extension with De Bruyne if the Belgian were to see the tournament through.
Guardiola believes City, who have won just two of their last six league games, can use the turmoil of the campaign to springboard a challenge next term.
‘We will learn,’ he added. ‘In good moments we learn and bad moments. Experiences happen many times and we don’t learn and happens again.
‘A good lesson for me personally, I’ve learned a lot and hopefully for the club as well. I said in the past, qualification for the Champions League is a huge success and people didn’t believe me. Now they believe me.’
