City must learn from Toure cake mistake - Pellegrini

LONDON (Reuters) - Manchester City have learnt from their mistakes and will buy Yaya Toure a birthday cake when he turns 32 next week, manager Manuel Pellegrini said on Friday.

City must learn from Toure cake mistake - Pellegrini

(Reuters)





The 31-year-old Toure caused controversy last year when he claimed he was shown disrespect by City after they failed to wish him a happy birthday and present him with a cake.

When asked by reporters if City will make amends this year, Pellegrini said: "We will think what is the best thing for him. It is important to learn from the mistakes that you have made in the past."

Toure's agent Dimitri Seluk said on Thursday that the powerhouse Ivorian midfielder, who joined City from Barcelona in 2010, was "90 percent certain" to leave at the end of this season.

Toure has not made the same impact from midfield this season as he did in City's Premier League title-winning sides in 2012 and 2014, and Pellegrini remained tightlipped over the Ivorian's future.

"Everyone at this moment can say what they want about rumours. I have never answered to Yaya's agent so I will not do it now," the Chilean told a news conference.

"Yaya has a contract here for two years more so in this moment we are only thinking about the best way to finish the season then we will see what happens next season.

"I'm not disappointed because everyone can talk about what he think is better for him but we're all focussing on our team and what the agent thinks is not my problem."

City host 19th-placed Queens Park Rangers at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday and captain Vincent Kompany will return after injury but Samir Nasri will miss the remaining three games of the season with a muscle injury.

Second-placed City are level on 70 points with Arsenal but have played a game more and Pellegrini is hoping results go his side's way in the race to finish runners-up behind Chelsea.

"It is important to finish well," he said. "We have won three games in a row and we have three games more. It is important for our team to win the other games.

"It does not depend on our team if we are going to finish second or not because if Arsenal win all of their games, they will be second."





(Reporting by Michael Hann, editing by Ed Osmond)


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