Bastian Schweinsteiger, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Joe Hart: Who else features in Pep Guardiola’s Axed XI?
Manchester City boss has a history of showing no mercy to top talents who don't fit in with his brand of football
PEP GUARDIOLA showed no mercy when he shipped Manchester City favourite Joe Hart out on loan to Italian minnows Torino.
But it’s not the first time the ruthless Spaniard has shipped out an unwanted player – no matter how talented or popular they are.
A number of footballers have got on Guardiola’s wrong side for various reasons.
Some have failed to meet the criteria needed for his philosophy, while other exits have purely been down to clashing heads.
A lot of the names on the list border on iconic, if not legendary.
And here, SunSport reveals the ultimate Pep Guardiola Axed XI in a 4-3-3 formation:
Goalkeeper: Joe Hart (Man City – 2016)
HART was entering his 10th season at the Etihad before discovering he did not feature in Guardiola’s plans for the new season.
The England No.1 was dropped in favour of Willy Caballero before seeing his status diminish even further with the signing of Claudio Bravo, and was subsequently loaned to Torino.
Right-back: Emre Can (Bayern Munich – 2013)
CAN was regarded as one of the brightest prospects in Bayern’s academy before Guardiola turned up in Germany.
But the Spaniard had no room for Can in his side and sanctioned a permanent move to Bayer Leverkusen before ex-Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers came calling a year later.
Centre-back: Yaya Toure (Barcelona – 2010)
TOURE managed to last two seasons under Guardiola at the Nou Camp before Sergio Busquets broke into the first team.
Guardiola opted to use his compatriot as the bedrock for Barca’s tiki-taka game, and decided to sell Toure to Man City for £24m.
Centre-back: Dante (Bayern Munich – 2015)
BRAZILIAN Dante played a key role in Bayern’s stunning treble win under Jupp Heynckes in 2013.
The veteran retained his big-player status when Guardiola took charge at the Allianz Arena, but their relationship eventually turned sour as Wolfsburg pounced last summer.
Left-back: Gianluca Zambrotta (Barcelona – 2008)
ITALY legend Zambrotta could not help Barca win La Liga during his two years at the Nou Camp.
And the World Cup winner was quickly shipped off to AC Milan when Guardiola took over, ending his short stint in Spain.
Defensive midfield: Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich – 2015)
FOREVER aligned with Bayern, Schweinsteiger’s 13 years in the senior squad came to an end last summer when Louis van Gaal and Manchester United came calling.
Guardiola was happy to let the injury-prone veteran leave though, using the cash to fund a deal for Juventus superstar Arturo Vidal instead.
Centre midfield: Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich – 2014)
KROOS had the world at his feet after winning the World Cup with Germany.
The playmaker was expected to become a Bayern legend after already winning three league titles, but Guardiola did not put up a fight as he essentially swapped Kroos for Real Madrid’s Xabi Alonso.
Centre midfield: Deco (Barcelona – 2008)
LIKE Zambrotta, Deco fell victim to Guardiola’s first clear-out at the Nou Camp.
Despite winning two titles and the Champions League, the Portuguese playmaker was allowed to leave for Chelsea as Xavi and Andres Iniesta established themselves as Guardiola’s first-choice midfield pairing.
Right wing: Samuel Eto’o (Barcelona – 2009)
ETO'O struck 30 league goals in Guardiola’s first season as Barcelona cruised to the title.
But the Cameroon ace was sacrificed in a player-plus-cash deal for Inter Milan forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Left wing: Ronaldinho (Barcelona – 2008)
FAN favourite Ronaldinho had endured an injury-plagued campaign the year before Guardiola joined.
His new boss wanted more pace and dynamism on the wings, and Ronaldinho was sold to AC Milan straight away.
Striker: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Barcelona – 2010)
PERHAPS Guardiola’s most vocal critic, Ibrahimovic last just one season under the Spaniard.
The Swedish superstar was not impressed at playing second fiddle to Lionel Messi and even tried to orchestrate a move to Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid before AC Milan came to his rescue.