In the last two summers, City have postponed much of the rebuild; two of the six recruits in that time are now in the band of 30-somethings. And while Guardiola said it was harder to be stable defensively without a quartet of centre backs and two holding midfielders, arguably he only has one: Mateo Kovacic does not covet that role.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has moved to clarify a light-hearted remark he made about wanting to harm himself following his team’s match in the Champions League.

Pep Guardiola insists Manchester City do not need a major rebuild this summer. For the first time in his storied managerial career, Guardiola is dealing with a crisis of results and faces the difficult task of a Premier League trip to Liverpool on Sunday.