Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, has slammed football’s “big bosses” at FIFA and the Premier League over the welfare of his players.
The reigning Premier League champions are in the USA for their pre-season tour with a depleted squad.
This is because several first-team players played in international tournaments in the summer and are yet to join the team.
Guardiola, speaking with reporters, claimed City will not be able to prepare fully in the pre-season ahead of the new season.
He said: “We will arrive late but not [just] against Manchester United [in the Community Shield], against Chelsea and Ipswich too. We will be late. It’s about trying not to drop many points, try to compete well. We don’t have players because they have to rest.
“If the big bosses and all the institutions like FIFA, UEFA and the Premier League don’t think about the players then the managers have to think about them, otherwise they will die. It’s too much.
“That’s why three weeks or one month is necessary, but the competition is there and you have to adapt.”