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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Kieran King

Pep Guardiola snubbed Yaya Toure letter as former Man City star wants to talk

The feud between Pep Guardiola and Yaya Toure could have been put to a firm public end last year.

That was when the former Ivory Coast international wrote a formal letter to the Manchester City manager in an attempt to end their fractious relationship. Last year, Toure said he had penned a message to Guardiola after he claimed the Spaniard didn't like African players - a comment he regrets and claimed it was misquoted.

However, there has still been no reply from Guardiola despite Toure's effort to make amends with his former boss, having worked with him twice during his playing career. The next time the duo might meet is on the touchline as Toure continues to develop as a coach after joining Tottenham as an academy manager.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Toure explained how he has changed his since playing days and his aims have developed, having also spent some time in other coaching positions. The 39-year-old spent four months as the assistant manager of Olimpik Donetsk before a stint at Russian side Akhmat Grozny.

"I would be more than happy to talk with him," he said of Guardiola. "I'm on a different pathway now. I will be someone who tries to understand my players, different cultures and footballers, bringing them together to make a team. I will become a manager one day."

Toure was reportedly offered the Wigan Athletic job last month, which he rejected before the vacancy was filled by his brother, Kolo. Yaya started his senior career at Beveren and played for clubs including Olympiacos before making the jump to Guardiola's Barcelona in 2007.

Is Yaya Toure one of the best-ever Premier League midfielders? Have your say in the comments!

Yaya Toure and Pep Guardiola spent two stints working together (Getty Images)

The midfielder proved to be a big hit at Camp Nou and went on to have a successful career at Manchester City following his switch to the Etihad Stadium in 2010. Toure won three Premier League titles during his time at the club - the third of which came under Guardiola - and scored 79 goals in 316 appearances.

"You can be a big player and not be a big coach," Toure added. "Before, as a player, I was so selfish. I only looked after myself. Now, I have to understand children. I'm back to the start. And at their age, life is not so certain. You have to support them, talk to them a lot.

"When I was a teenager, playing in Belgium, I made mistakes. With food, behaviour. I was out driving cars. If you don't have someone who understands you, it's tough. I want to be that person who is there for them.

"But I also want to push them to realise their dreams. I say to them, 'Do you see Xavi and Iniesta? I played with them, I can talk to you about what they did differently. Come on, let us watch some videos'. There is not a barrier between me and them, they can always come to me."

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