Manchester City have been handed a huge boost ahead of the new Premier League season.
Midfield powerhouse Yaya Toure has quashed any rumors he’s set for a move away from the reigning PL champions and has claimed he will stay with the Citizens “for as long as possible.”
[RELATED: Toure wants to end career at Barca]
Previously it had been thought that Toure, 31, was unhappy at City after his agent Dimitry Seluk claimed the Ivory Coast star felt disrespected by the club he joined from Barcelona in 2010. That all stemmed from the infamous “birthday cake” fiasco where Toure was apparently upset due to his birthday being ignored by the clubs owners during a end of season trip to the United Arab Emirates. All of that seems to have been brushed under the carpet now, as Toure is looking forward to a long career at the Etihad.
Toure spoke to Manchester City’s website after linking back up with the squad following his participation at the 2014 World Cup. This is what he had to say on rumors about his future.
Toure was an integral part of City’s title winning squad in 2013-14 as he scored 20 goals from midfield in the PL. He was City’s top scorer, drove them forward from midfield and along with Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and Joe Hart, Toure is part of City’s spine of important players. He signed a new four-year contract last season but his future was up in the air following some negative comments to the press, the birthday incident and the tragic death of his younger brother Ibrahim over the summer.
Losing him this summer would have been a huge blow, but Toure is sticking around after regaining focus over the summer.