Pep Guardiola warns Manchester City players he will not tolerate playing-time complaints

Kevin De Bruyne’s return from a knee ligament injury has increased competition for places

Pep Guardiola has warned Manchester City's players not to sulk (Getty)

Pep Guardiola has warned his Manchester City players that he will not tolerate any sulking by those who find themselves outside of first-choice line-up.

Kevin De Bruyne’s return from a knee ligament injury has increased competition for places in Guardiola’s midfield and City’s attacking options are subject to regular rotation.

Bernardo Silva dropped to the substitutes’ bench for De Bruyne’s return in Tuesday’s win at Shakhtar Donetsk, while Leroy Sané and Gabriel Jesus have struggled for regular minutes.

Guardiola understands some of his players will be frustrated and admitted he is “unfair” on Friday, but then warned he will have a “problem” with any players who complained.

“It’s always a problem. I am unfair,” he said. “Guys are not going to play who deserve to play. When they train in a bad way they are out for themselves but when they try it’s unfair.

“They are professional. They are upset when not selected, during and after they’re not happy but when they come back to training they must be happy.

“The only way to convince me is to convince their team-mates. If they have bad moods, faces, then they will have a big problem.

“I understand completely but the next game is out there, immediately. They are amazing professionals.”

City meet Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley on Monday night, with Mauricio Pochettino's just two points behind Guardiola's Premier League leaders.