Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure claims he was frozen out of Barcelona by coach Pep Guardiola against his wishes.
Midfielder claims he was forced to look for a move away from Barca
Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure claims he was frozen out of Barcelona by coach Pep Guardiola against his wishes.
Ivory Coast international Toure spent three years at Camp Nou prior to completing a big-money switch to City in 2010.
He believes he was forced out of the Catalan giants, with Guardiola having given him the cold shoulder after deciding he no longer figured in his first-team plans.
Toure claims he would have been willing to stay on had communication between the manager and his players been better, but insists he was left with no choice but to look for a fresh start.
"I wanted to stay at Barcelona and would have done so if Guardiola had asked me to, but the door to his office was always closed," Toure told
Ona FM.
"I did not speak to him in my last year there. There was no communication.
"In the end Guardiola spoke to me, but at the start he said nothing. He had no faith in me and did not want me.
"I wanted to stay but he did not want that. He left me confused. His explanations were puzzling and he did not pay me any attention until I had the offer from City."
System
Toure is not the only former Barca star to complain about Guardiola's management style, with Bojan Krkic having revealed that he too was given the silent treatment prior to joining Roma.
The striker said: "If Guardiola calls me now I would not go back to Barcelona.
"I spent a long time without speaking to Guardiola. I could not find the right words when I used to see him."
Meanwhile, Toure believes Barca missed a trick last summer when they allowed City to snap up Spain international David Silva from Valencia, with the World Cup winner currently enjoying a sparkling run of form.
"David Silva would be a perfect player to fit into the Barcelona system," Toure said, before stating that City are setting lofty targets this term.
"This year City are much stronger with the arrival of (Sergio) Aguero. Now the main aim is to win the Premier League."
