Yaya Toure is grateful for Pep Guardiola s tough love and wants to sign a new contract at Manchester City.
Toure was exiled from the City first team during the opening months of Guardiola s tenure at the Etihad Stadium, having reported back for pre-season training overweight before being left out of the squad for the Champions League group stages – prompting a public spat between his agent Dimitri Seluk and the ex-Barcelona boss.
A thaw in relations in November saw Toure mark his return to the fold with both goals in a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace and he has since been one of City s most consistent performers, reprising the deep-lying midfield role he starred in under Guardiola at Camp Nou.
There has still been no let-up for the 33-year-old, who is one of six senior City players out of contract at the end of the season, with Guardiola revealing he criticised him in front of team-mates after the 2-0 FA Cup quarter-final win over Middlesbrough last weekend.
Toure was an unused substitute as the Premier League side crashed out of the Champions League at Monaco in midweek but a player who capped his first season in Manchester with the winning goal in the 2011 FA Cup final believes he has more to offer City.
In my first press conference, I told the media I came to City to achieve, to make a story and to be a big part of this club, he told Sky Sports.
When I look back it is something that is very important for me. If I have to leave City I want to leave with something very, very important.
We know what we want, the fans as well, the club, the chairman, and what I have to do is my best, try to achieve everything and to help this club for as long as possible.
The day I will be done, I ll know myself. I know my body and I ll say, Yes, I m done .
Asked whether this meant he wanted a new deal, Toure added: Definitely. I love this football club.
Toure explained he retained a dialogue with Guardiola throughout his absence from the first-team and credited the 46-year-old s honest approach for bringing about an upturn in form following a lacklustre 2015-16 under Manuel Pellegrini.
Last year I was overweight, it was a difficult situation, there were a lot of problems with my family, he said.
I was talking with him most of the time and people were not seeing that on the screen. Those talks will stay between him and me. He knows what I can do and what I m capable of doing.
Like he said, he s been honest with me. He is the guy that pushed me up, made me come back and that s why I m feeling respectful with him and that s why I want to show him he was right.
