Benjamin Mendy has risked angering Pep Guardiola again after being seen in a Manchester nightclub in the early hours of Saturday morning hours before a training session.
The Manchester City defender, fit again for the first time in three months, was spotted in a club in town at 3.30am after being left out of the matchday squad for Fulham.
Asked about the incident, the Blues boss made clear he would rather the player have had an earlier night, especially because the player then had a training session at the Etihad Campus on Saturday - although there is no suggestion the star had been drinking.
“They are old enough to know what they have to do. I’m not his father. I would prefer him to go home earlier but I don’t control the players in that situation.
“[I'm] not frustrated [by it]. I’m a relaxed guy. It might not look like it but I sleep quite well.”
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City's manager has chastised Mendy publicly this season for his prolific posting on social media, and there have been more serious punishments privately; the Frenchman was fined for being late for training in August and banned from the training ground a month later after turning up three hours late for a recovery session having been in London the previous night to watch a boxing match.
Despite spending £52m to sign the left-back less than two seasons ago, his various problems have left the club looking to spend again in that position this summer with Leicester's Ben Chilwell an option.
While Guardiola cannot control what his players do on their days off, he is in charge of who makes the City team for each match and who fits into his long-term plans at the club and Mendy is again unlikely to have done himself any favours.
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