Manchester City: Preseason squad rankings
By Tom Bogert
5. Yaya Toure
Toure’s career is currently in flux. It could be a moving season, and it really looked like this was the right time for him to dismount from City and join PSG or Juventus, but apparently Guardiola is “counting on him” so he looks set to stay.
The Ivorian has been at City since 2010 and has been flirting with the exit door in recent years. There was that time he was upset when the club didn’t do enough to celebrate his birthday and the normal links away to a similarly oil-funded club like PSG.
Has there ever been a link that made as much sense as Toure to PSG, by the way? It felt inevitable to happen. He would have extended his prime the same way that Zlatan Ibrahimovic did, he’d still perform as a world-class player for years to come in the watered down Ligue 1 with the team that’d be around him. He’d excel in that side.
But Toure is still at City. His only problem will be if he plays in defensive midfield, he’ll still really need to run and cover ground for the team. Unless he’s always handcuffed to Fernandinho or Fernando, who could be his legs, it’ll be tough.
Toure is number five in the rankings on pedigree, even if his performances slipped last year as his effort and interest seriously eroded. He could fall quickly if he falls out of Guardiola’s good graces if his effort doesn’t take an uptick.
No one is questioning his ability, no one ever has. His attitude has been suspect over the years as has been his concentration. The 33-year-old is exiting his prime, we’ll find out if the Premier League has passed him by next season.
Next: 4. Vincent Kompany