Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has issued that there will be no players leaving in the January transfer window, despite contrastinf reports by various media outlets reporting a different scenario at The Etihad.
The likes of under fire keeper Joe Hart, centre forward Edin Dzeko, out of favour centre back Joleon Lescott and Micah Richards have been linked with moves away from City in the New Year, as Pellegrini looks to stamp his authority upon the squad.
“There are a lot of rumours that are not true.
“The squad we have from the beginning is the squad we need so it would be very strange that one player can go out in January.”
Pellegrini insists that English stars James Milner and Jack Rodwell, along with Lescott and Richards, are all part of his plans.
“Lescott has been playing in the last few games and James Milner is normally playing,” he told the Manchester Evening News.
“Micah Richards has had injuries for half of the season but he played against Plzen in the Champions League and he played against Sunderland.
“Of the last three games he played two so the English players, Spanish players, Argentinian players are all part of our squad and we need all of them.
“Jack Rodwell also has been injured maybe three months of the season, or two and a half months.”
The City manager was also asked by various journalist’s about Manchester City’s goalkeeping scenario, with Joe Hart currently playing a number two role to Romanian shot stopper Costel Pantilimon, he added: “I think it is very important to have two good goalkeepers.
“Joe Hart continues to be the number one of England, and he is a very good goalkeeper.
“But Pantilimon has played seven games, five in the Premier League and two in Capital One, and the opponents have scored just one goal, at Sunderland, so that is also important for the team.
“They are two important goalkeepers, and I trust in both of them.
“At the moment I am playing Pantilimon but you saw the other day when Joe Hart played he did very well ( in the Champions League )
Hart has been dropped since his high profile mistake in a game against Chelsea in October.
City travel to the Hawthorns tonight to face a mid table West Bromwich Albion side, a game City won 2-1 last year.
By Ben Reardon
@BenReardon1
