Pep Guardiola has told Benjamin Mendy that he has confidence in his ability to return for Manchester City next season, according to reports in France.
The left-back has made 15 appearances for the Blues this season in an injury-ravaged campaign that saw him hurt his knee twice. His first season was also plagued with knee problems, and Mendy has only played a total of 23 times since his arrival from Monaco in 2017.
City have been linked with Leicester's Ben Chilwell as a replacement for Mendy, but French outlet L'Équipe claim the 24-year-old has been told by Blues boss Guardiola that he remains firmly in his plans.
Mendy missed the end of the season to undergo rehabilitation on his knee in Barcelona with Guardiola's preferred doctor, Ramon Cugat.
And the publication report that Mendy has remained in Catalonia in a bid to be fully fit for the start of City's pre-season schedule.
City won an unprecedented treble of domestic trophies this season and retained the league title for the first time in the club's history.
Vincent Kompany played a key role in the run-in, scoring a 30-yard wonder-goal in the penultimate league fixture against Leicester, and said beating Liverpool to the title was the most challenging test of his City career before announcing he will leave the club to become player-manager of RSC Anderlecht next season.
"It was the hardest and most satisfying Premier League title win ever," Kompany told City's official website .
"Liverpool were exceptional this year and I don't mean to rub it in - it is what it is - they didn't deserve to be second this year, but it only makes me that much more happy that we've been up against such a good team and when our backs were against the wall we kept finding the results."
