It’s not clear when Yaya Toure is actually going to play football after announcing he would retire from international duty, as reported by ESPN.
The Ivory Coast midfielder was expected to captain his country in the New Year’s African Cup of Nations, a trophy they won last year under his guidance, but they will now have to reshuffle.
The 33-year-old has been skipper since Didier Drogba quit two years ago, but his own decision marks the latest twist in the downwards trajectory of his career.
Pep Guardiola clearly has no time for him at City, playing him just once this season – and even that wasn’t in the Premier League. Toure was introduced against Steaua Bucharest in the Champions League play-off, when the Sky Blues were already 5-0 up.
Bizarrely, the former Barcelona star would have been allowed to leave in the summer, but chose to wind down the final year of his contract instead.
It remains to be seen whether his international retirement will boost his chances of game time at City, but right now with the side performing so well, there’s just no place for a has-been like Toure in the starting line-up.
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