Pep Guardiola decided João Cancelo had to be loaned to Bayern Munich after being disappointed by the full-back’s attitude when given decreased game time for Manchester City.
Cancelo lost his first-team berth and did not feature in the past three matches. It is understood the manager felt the 28-year-old should be allowed to go because of an unwillingness to accept a reduced role.
Cancelo joined Bayern on Tuesday until the end of the season, with the option to buy for €70m (£61.6m). The move is a surprise but Cancelo’s desire for greater playing time alerted Bayern.
Nathan Aké’s impressive displays at left-back and Guardiola’s confidence he has the requisite defensive cover were further reasons the manager allowed the move, even though Cancelo has been a big part of City’s recent success. He has made 16 league starts this season, but has not played since the derby loss to Manchester United this month, having started three of 10 games after the World Cup.
“My decision had to do with the playing time that had been little in recent weeks,” he said. “There was speculation that my relationship with Pep was not the best but fact is I wanted to play more. I wanted to start this new adventure as soon as possible.
“I enjoyed my time at City and I am still under contract with the club so I don’t see it as a final departure. I will now focus only on my five months and see what happens then.”
Cancelo has been instrumental for City since his arrival in 2019, winning two league titles, and was named in the Premier League team of the year in the past two seasons.
Bayern’s sports director, Hasan Salihamidzic, said: “João is a player we’ve been thinking about for a while now because we very much appreciate his qualities. He’s the optimal fit in our system with his attacking style of play and dynamism, and his mentality and experience fit very well in our team.”
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Bayern are top of the Bundesliga, but their lead over Union Berlin has been cut to a point after three consecutive draws. They have also signed the goalkeeper Yann Sommer and defender Daley Blind in this transfer window.