There is no way back to Manchester City for Joao Cancelo after his latest comments

If it wasn’t immediately apparent before, it has become crystal clear now. There is no way back to Manchester City for Joao Cancelo. The Portuguese international is currently on loan at Barcelona. His loan spell this season in Spain follows his short loan spell at Bayern Munich during the second half of last season.

If there was a slim chance of Cancelo resuming his Manchester City career, a recent interview appears to have slammed that door shut. The defender went into detail about his grievances with the manner of his departure from the world champions and how it was handled.

In an interview with Portuguese newspaper ABola Cancelo spoke about his exit from the world champions. He believes that lies were told in regard to his relationships with his teammates. The Portuguese international made mention of Nathan Ake and Rico Lewis. Cancelo said: “Lies were told! I’ve never been a bad teammate for them, and you can ask either Aké or Rico. I don’t have any superiority or inferiority complex towards them, but that’s the manager’s opinion.”

Joao Cancelo also believes that Manchester City was ungrateful for his contribution to the club. He further explained: “I think Man City were a bit ungrateful to me when they said that. Because I was a very important player in the years I was there. I never failed in my commitment to the club, to the fans, and I always gave everything. I remember a time when I was robbed and attacked, and the next day, I was playing at the Emirates against Arsenal. These are things you don’t forget, I left my wife and my daughter alone at home, terrified.”

Joao Cancelo’s comments about Pep Guardiola emphatically closes the door on his Manchester City career

It is the comments made by Cancelo about Pep Guardiola that appear to slam the door shut on his Manchester City career. The defender also said: “People will only remember this because Mister Guardiola has much more strength than me when he says something, and I prefer to keep to myself. I prefer to know that I am telling the truth, I feel fulfilled with what I did. I am a transparent person, I never lie.”

There is no doubt Joao Cancelo made a sizable contribution to Manchester City during his time with the club. He was a part of three Premier League titles and one Carabao Cup during his spell at the Etihad. He also developed into one of the premier full-backs under the guidance of Pep Guardiola. His effort to play a day after the traumatic experience of his home being broken into speaks volumes of his character.

But, his recent comments have emphatically closed the door on Cancelo’s City career. His parting shot at Pep Guardiola, in particular, has likely ended any opportunity for the defender to play his way back to the Etihad. Manchester City and Pep Guardiola have never made any public statements about Cancelo’s exit.

Jamie Jackson previously reported for the Guardian that Guardiola was disappointed with Cancelo’s attitude, which resulted in his loan move to Bayern Munich last season. But Pep Guardiola and Manchester City have never made any public statements to confirm or deny such rumours.

Joao Cancelo made a significant contribution to Manchester City during his time at the club. There is no doubt about that. But his recent comments have effectively ended his City career. There can also be no doubt about that fact now that they are in the public domain.