Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has insisted his players will not deserve a bonus for their efforts at the Club World Cup this summer following an underwhelming campaign on the pitch. The Citizens are 22 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool and were dumped out of the Champions League by Real Madrid at the round of 16 stage.
City’s season began to unravel last autumn after Rodri had been ruled out for the season after sustaining an ACL injury. The north west giants were humbled in the Premier League by Bournemouth, Brighton and Tottenham in November as their form nosedived. They were also thrashed 4-1 in the Champions League by Ruben Amorim’s Sporting during the same month before throwing away a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord. And they have failed to fully recover since that sorry run of games.
City could earn up to £97million at the Club World Cup depending on how far they are able to progress, with a whopping £775m set to be shared between the 32 clubs featuring at the tournament.
The Citizens will earn at least £40m if they progress past the group stage, with the £97m on offer as their total prize package should they win the tournament.
But when asked if the prize pot was a ‘bonus’ during a press conference on Friday, the Spaniard hissed: “we do not deserve a bonus this season.” He added: “The money would be for the club, but the coach, the staff, the players do not deserve a bonus. Not even a watch.”
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