FC Bayern Munich – “It’s a completely different case”: Pep Guardiola explains João Cancelo’s move to FCB

Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has commented on João Cancelo’s move to Bayern for the first time. The Portuguese joined Bayern Munich on loan just before the end of the winter transfer window.

“Everyone has their own character, me, you, him. And he loves to play. He’s a guy who has to play to be happy. He wants to play every game, hopefully he can do that in Munich,” he said former Bayern coach at a press conference on Saturday.

At his presentation in Munich, Cancelo confirmed that the lack of playing time was the decisive factor in saying goodbye to Manchester. According to Guardiola, the club made the decision to let the Portuguese go.

Cancelo was set for City until the World Cup, after which “we changed the structure of our game a bit and I gave other players more playing time. And I liked what I saw on the pitch,” said Guardiola. “I wish him the best in the coming months. We’ll see what happens next season.”

City can deal with the situation and absorb Cancelo’s departure internally. Guardiola drew a comparison to the last-minute change from Dortmund’s Manuel Akanji last summer. Back then he “felt that we needed another centre-back. But this case was very different. I trust the players I have.”

Bayern have a €70m option to buy Cancelo after the season, whom Guardiola praised despite the current circumstances: “Bayern wanted him because he’s an outstanding player. I won’t say a bad word about him. His work ethic Everyone knows his passion, his love of football, his quality.”