Leroy Sane has opened up about his "true homecoming" to the Etihad Stadium, heaping praise on the manager who "reprogrammed" his footballing brain. The Galatasaray winger returns to Manchester on Wednesday night for a high-stakes Champions League clash, admitting that while he remains close friends with his former team-mates, Pep Guardiola’s "relentless" tactical demands are what truly shaped his career.

Pep Guardiola has insisted he has "never, ever" criticised referees in his 10 years in charge at Manchester City following his outburst at Premier League official Farai Hallam. The Spaniard has come under fire for comments made about Hallam after his refusal to award a penalty to City in their 2-0 win over Wolves, although Guardiola has gone on the defensive and, albeit issuing an apology, has doubled down on his assessment of the debutant ref's performance.

Pep Guardiola apologised to Farai Hallam for his pointed remarks at the official on the weekend but insisted he was justified in pointing out the many instances in which big refereeing decisions have gone against Manchester City. Hallam opted against giving City a penalty for handball in Saturday's match with Wolves despite being asked to review the play by VAR.

Pep Guardiola has sarcastically claimed that he will not talk to Erling Haaland about the Manchester City striker's drop in form because he hasn't spoken to any of his players for three years. Haaland has not scored a goal in open play for nine matches and City need him to rediscover his usual striking prowess in their must-win Champions League fixture against Galatasaray on Wednesday.

Pep Guardiola has a long history of memorable press conference outbursts but the Manchester City coach remains very hard to predict. After a defeat or disappointing draw, the Catalan often deflates the situation by keeping his cool in front of the media. And yet he has a habit of unleashing fury after a routine win - which is precisely what happened after City's victory over Wolves on Saturday.