Benjamin Mendy has an uncertain future at Manchester City as he’s been short of form, fitness and playing time. The 26-year-old has featured in nine of City’s 23 games (39%) this season, amassing 728 minutes of playing time from a possible 2070 (35%), and L’Equipe (h/t Sport Witness) say Pep Guardiola is frustrated that Mendy isn’t regularly available.
Where will Manchester City finish this season?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
The French international missed five Premier League games in October and November with a muscle injury and was an unused substitute three times in December, so he’s spent much of the campaign out of the starting eleven than it in. L’Equipe say City are considering a move for Ajax’s Nicolás Tagliafico to replace Mendy as he ‘annoys’ Pep.
Since joining from AS Monaco in 2017, Mendy has gone on to make 62 appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal and making 11 assists. He’s missed a lot of football in the last three years, making only 7/38 league appearances in 2017/18, 10/38 league appearances in 2018/19, 19/38 league appearances in 2019/20 and 6/14 league appearances in 2020/21 – 42 appearances from a possible 128.
Guardiola hasn’t been able to rely on Mendy over the course of the season, so it’s not surprising that he’s looking into signing a replacement. Time will tell if it’s the 28-year-old Tagliafico, however.
In other news, another Manchester City player has a ‘strained’ relationship with Pep Guardiola