Pep Guardiola made it plain that any disciplinary action against errant pair Jack Grealish and Phil Foden will remain behind closed doors.
The Manchester City manager refused to confirm that his words about a “behaviour” problem leading to three changes for the game at Newcastle at the weekend referred specifically to the two young England stars.
They were pictured on a night out in Manchester after the 7-0 win over Leeds, and were dropped to the bench - along with John Stones - for the trip to north-east.
Guardiola said after the game that the team changes were made due to issues with behaviour off the pitch, and the inference that it was Grealish and Foden who were the subject of his remarks was underlined when photos of the pair, unmasked, having selfies at a Manchester nightspot, emerged.
Guardiola appeared before the media for the first time since those images were revealed, but he refused to give anyone a peek into what had gone on behind the scenes, and would not confirm that those two players were the object of his anger.
When asked about the pointed comments about dropped players, Guardiola replied: “Fernandinho, Ake, Palmer didn't play either at Newcastle. Some players go out. I will clarify but not to you. Some players were out for dinner."
It was a flawed response, as none of those players had played against Leeds - the only three players left out after playing in midweek were Grealish, Foden and Stones - and Stones was an obvious candidate to be left out as he had stood in for the suspended Joao Cancelo at right back.
But while Guardiola refused to wash dirty laundry in public, he said that they are reliant on players taking responsibility.
The pair reportedly turned up for a warm-down session the next day showing signs of their night out, but it is unclear whether they broke any club rules, and have been further discipled.
The club has issued guidelines to try to get players and staff to take extra caution with the highly infectious omicron variant on the rise, but they remain only guidelines.
Guardiola said: “They are not rules, I'm not police. They are old enough to know what they have to do.
“We are living in special circumstances that we cannot live free like in the past. The pandemic is still here. Everyone has to try to follow us as much as possible.
“We are not alone in the world, we are living with people. Being careful, we are exposed. just be careful that's all.
“In this career, the work on and off the pitch is so important. The managers too, we have to live for the profession. All the time.
“Otherwise there are guys who live every second in the profession, they sustain for longer. This message I give to them six years ago, and many times (since). You have to prepare, there are a lot of players who live this way, that's why we are consistent.”
.png?w=600)
