Bayern Munich chief makes Joao Cancelo admission as former Man City boss makes Man United dig

Here are your Manchester City evening headlines on Thursday, March 9.

Joao Cancelo lost his place in the Bayern Munich side due to his performances in training and in matches.

That is the assessment of Bayern Sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic, who commented on Cancelo's omission from the starting line-up in their Champions League last-16 second leg win over Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.

Cancelo started his first four games for Bayern since moving on loan from Manchester City, but has played just 18 minutes across the last three games and has started on the bench for four games in succession. He came off the bench against PSG to set up the tie's third goal, but was brought back down to earth after the game when Salihamidzic spoke to the media.

"Joao hasn't been training and playing the way we envisaged lately," he said. "We're in regular communication with him. I understand how he feels, but he is an excellent player who will become important to us in the future."

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Real Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini declared himself a Manchester City fan and said he was not sad that Manchester United lost 7-0 to Liverpool at the weekend.

Pellegrini returns to Manchester for the first time since leaving his role at West Ham, this week when his La Liga side take on United in the first leg of the Europa League round of 16. Before joining the Hammers, the 69-year-old enjoyed success with City, winning the League Cup twice and the Premier League between 2013 and 2016.

He was eventually replaced by current Blues boss Pep Guardiola but that has not lessened his love for City. When asked about United's emphatic loss to Liverpool, Pellegrini told the media: "It really was unbelievable.

"I was watching