Aymeric Laporte has hinted he had problems with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, refusing to openly admit he improved him as a player.
The defender has been speaking to AS in Spain about life in Saudi Arabia with Al Nassr and why he left Manchester City in the summer.
He had been at the Etihad since 2018 when he arrived from Athletic Bilbao in a €65m deal and went on to make 180 appearances in all competitions for the club.
He had been a key player for the club during his time there, establishing himself as the star man in defence under Guardiola winning five Premier League titles, two FA Cups, three EFL Cups, the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Community Shield as well.
He had found himself further down the pecking order in recent years, though, with a series of injury issues allowing the likes of Ruben Dias, John Stones and Nathan Ake to push ahead of him.
Like many players he enjoyed undenied development and improvement, but he refused to say as much when asked about the Manchester City boss by the newspaper.
“Let’s see, I think it’s (his move) as a result of the injuries I suffered when the club started signing other centre-backs,” he said.
“When you make those hires, which were also for a lot of money, you cannot save a place for a footballer who has given you a lot of physical problems or injuries.
“The club saw it this way and preferred to bet on others. Obviously, if I hadn’t had these physical problems, everything would have been different.
“For me, Guardiola is the best tactical coach in the world, without a doubt. Now I see it even more from the outside, you realize. Tactically he is the best.”
“I’m going to leave it without comment,” he added when asked if Guardiola personally helped him or whether he expected more.
