Aleks Zinchenko has spoken of how training is "murder" at Manchester City as the players fight for a place in the starting lineup.
Pep Guardiola has a squad of talented players that he makes full use of, but despite the rotation they are all aware that they cannot afford to let standards drop in training if they are to keep in his good books.
Zinchenko has been hailed before as an example of somebody that never let their disappointment at not playing show, while Bernardo Silva was hailed for his attitude during his first season at the club when he was not starting regularly but was still contributing as a member of the squad.
The Ukraine international, who will be vying with Benjamin Mendy for the left-back spot when the Premier League returns, used Riyad Mahrez as an example of what can happen if the manager sees a player not giving off the right signals in training.
"Being in such a team is a high. On the other hand, it is very difficult,” he said.
“First of all, psychologically, because training here is just murder. People are fighting for a place in the lineup.
“To be among the 18 players in the squad is already a victory. Mahrez trained poorly for three days and did not make it into the 18, although he cost £60m.
“The requirements and the goals are high. One or two mistakes can cost you a lot – then you wait for a few games for your chance.
"It is very difficult here, you should never give weakness, you should always train and keep the bar high. Show your dissatisfaction that you did not get into the application and do not play...you can only show it at home.
"You need to endure and wait. If you really think that you should play in this place, then you just need to endure, plow and never give up. And then everything will be. These are commonplace phrases, but really it is true."
