LONDON: Pep Guardiola says his veteran Manchester City stars have a key role to play in the club’s rebuild as he tries to recapture former glories after a chastening season.
City have just the FA Cup still to play for in terms of silverware after the collapse of their Premier League title defense and their Champions League defeat by Real Madrid.
Guardiola’s team host second-tier Plymouth in the fifth round on Saturday.
The club have been criticized for not being quicker to renew an aging squad that has delivered six out of the past seven Premier League titles.
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City made four signings in the January transfer window — Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Nico Gonzalez and Vitor Reis — illustrating the scale of the rebuild required following injuries and a loss of form for key players.
But Guardiola told his pre-match press conference on Friday that his experienced players would have an important role next season.
“There are players here that are over 30 and they will be part of the future of this club,” he said on Friday.
“Except Kevin — Kevin and the club will decide in the future — the others have contracts and next season I expect them to be here. They are going to help us.”
He added: “We cannot do it just with the new ones or the old ones. We have to be all together... It’s really, really important at the end of the season, the next season.
“I count with Gundo (Gundogan, 34), I count with Berni (Bernardo Silva, 30), I count with all the players that have a contract. They are there. I have no doubt about that.”
Guardiola, whose team are trying to reach the FA Cup final for a third straight season, is refusing to take Plymouth
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