Manuel Pellegrini’s grasp of what’s happening at Manchester City has been brought into question after his comments on Marcos Lopes’ future were immediately proven to be false.
With rumours circling that Lopes was set to leave City, Pellegrini insisted in his Friday press conference that the youngster would only be allowed to depart on a loan deal as he remains an important part of the club’s future.
“Marcos is still a player here for Manchester City. We will see his future in the next hours. I think Marcos needs to play more in another club. He is a very good player,” said Pellegrini.
“I am sure in the future he will be part of our club but for this year he must continue trying to play as much football as he can. Here he has a lot of competition with David and Samir so it is better for him to go on loan.”
Pellegrini was then asked to clarify that Lopes would only be leaving the club on a temporary basis, replying: “Yes. Just for this season.”
But that isn’t what the official announcement on City’s Twitter feed said just moments later…
.@Rony10Lopes has joined @AS_Monaco on a permanent deal – good luck, Rony from all at @MCFC.
Story: http://t.co/OJQ7Ky37x8
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 28, 2015
So, if you’re looking for information on Manchester City, perhaps it’s best to ask someone a little higher up than Manuel Pellegrini.
