Pep Guardiola insists he doesn't regret selling Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to rival clubs this summer.
The Manchester City boss allowed Sterling to join Chelsea, while Jesus and Zinchenko headed to Arsenal. Guardiola's comments came after Sterling hammered his former employers for allowing his contract to run down, despite his importance to the team.
The England international, 27, had just one year remaining on his City deal when his move to Chelsea was agreed. Jesus was in the same situation, while Zinchenko had two years left on his contract. City could recuperate up to £117million for the trio.
Jesus has made a flying start at Arsenal - scoring twice - and Zinchenko has also played regularly for Mikel Arteta's side. Their contributions have helped the Gunners win all three of their Premier League fixtures so far this term to go top of the table.
Sterling, meanwhile, has also played frequently for his new club. Yet Guardiola doesn't regret their departures. Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of City's 3-3 draw against Newcastle at St James' Park on Sunday, he said: "If you force one person to stay when he doesn’t want to stay how can you get the best from him? It's impossible.
"I wouldn’t want to move anyone on now. I love this squad I have. I feel comfortable training with them because after six, seven years we know each other incredibly well. In the bad moments I know how they react; they are incredible professionals.
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"I would love to stay all together but at the same time the transfer window ends in 10-15 days and if a player wants to leave then we will find a solution. Which one, I don’t know but we will find it."
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of Chelsea's 3-0 defeat to Leeds on Sunday, Sterling explained why he left City: "Misunderstandings, contracts running down," he said. "It was a shame to see how it ended in the end because I had such a great time there.
"A lot of things came into play, a lot of reasons, but I wasn't complaining. I was ready to challenge and, as you can see, even with some of the performances I put in, you couldn't guarantee yourself a place so it just didn't make sense to fight a battle you can never win.
"Everyone wants to feel wanted, football is no different. When you play your heart out, sacrifice some of your kids' birthdays, and then get treated in a certain way, it's disappointing.
"At the time I was fuming, raging, but it's gone, it's in the past and I can only focus on the present, which is now, here at Chelsea, and the opportunity I've got here to go out and showcase my talents once again."
Sterling played a huge role in City's success in recent years, winning four Premier League titles, five EFL Cups and the FA Cup. He was named the FWA's Footballer of the Year in May 2019 for inspiring Guardiola's side to three major trophies in one season.
