Pep Guardiola explained the reasons behind omitting Ederson and Phil Foden from Manchester City’s matchday squad for their Premier League opener against Wolves on Saturday afternoon.
During the week Guardiola had confirmed that Ederson is the No.1 goalkeeper at the club despite City activating a buy-back clause to bring James Trafford back to the club following an impressive spell with Burnley.
Trafford was handed the starting berth between the posts with his Brazilian counterpart left behind in Manchester amid ongoing transfer speculation.
Ederson has been linked with a move away from the club this summer, with Galatasaray supposedly in talks to sign him in a £10m move, but Guardiola explained those rumours had no bearing in his decision to leave out the 31-year-old who sits out the match due to illness, specifically gastroenteritis.
Speaking to Sky Sports before kick off Guardiola explained: “He has stomach problems, yesterday wasn’t so good and he had vomiting. The Doctor decided he would stay in Manchester.”
As for Foden, there were plenty of worries about the attacker’s fitness throughout the week and he was in a race to be fit for today’s match having been left out during City’s pre-season game against Palermo last weekend.
Unlike Ederson, Foden did travel with the team to Molineux but wasn’t ready to feature for Guardiola’s men and watched the match from the stands while he nurses an ankle injury.
Another player to sit out the match was influential midfielder Rodri who is also trying to get back to match fitness like Foden. Of him, Guardiola added: “Sure he will be involved, very soon.”
Elsewhere, former Wolves defender Rayan Ait-Nouri was handed his Premier League debut for the club and became the fourth City player to make his top-flight club debut against a side he previously played for in the competition.
