Pep Guardiola signing slams Man City dressing room as 'egos' claim emerges

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City dressing room has come under fire from a player he signed

Former Manchester City winger Nolito has taken aim at the dressing room egos he saw while he played for the club.

The Spaniard was signed by City from Celta Vigo in July 2016 after the Blues triggered his £13.8million release clause. Then aged 29, he signed a four-year contract at the Etihad Stadium, becoming one of the recently-appointed manager Pep Guardiola’s first signings.

Nolito went on to make 19 Premier League appearances and 30 across all competitions in his first and only season with City, scoring four league goals as the side finished third. Yet, he remained unsettled both on and off the pitch and left in the summer of 2017, joining Sevilla before returning to Celta in 2020.

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Now 39 and retired, Nolito recently reflected on his year in England, shedding light on his struggles. Speaking on El after de Post United podcast, he explained what it was like to step into a City dressing room filled with stars and, apparently, egos.

Nolito said: "I remember it with a lot of stars and, above all, a lot of ego. There were players with huge egos. We'd all shower together and then each one would leave straight away. It wasn't a very friendly locker room.

"But anyway, I was always with the Spaniards, with Davis Silva or Jesus Navas, and we shared a lot in the locker room. But there were so many good players that I noticed a lot of ego. I saw many things but I'll keep that to myself. I think ego is a problem in society nowadays."

He went on to say he didn't get the opportunities he would have liked, adding: "At first, I started playing. I played a lot and then I played less. In the end, they're top squads and I had a lot of competition.

"I didn't adapt well because if I don't play... time... maybe the Premier League has a bit more pace. They let you play more, there aren't as many fouls. But I still prefer La Liga without a doubt.

"Guardiola asked me what he asked me at Barcelona: to do what I knew how to do, to play football the way I had always played and to keep doing it. And then, tactically, he tried to correct the shortcomings I had. And I said, 'Whatever he tells me, I'm at his disposal.'"

Some of the key players at City that season were Nicolas Otamendi, Pablo Zabaleta, Vincent Kompany, Gael Clichy, Fernandinho, Kevin De Bruyne, Yaya Toure, Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero.

Ilkay Gundogan had just been signed too, while youngsters John Stones and Gabriel Jesus were starting to leave their own mark.

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