Pep Guardiola drops surprise Nico O’Reilly axe hint ahead of Man City vs Sunderland showdown
Nico O’Reilly could be on the chopping block after Pep Guardiola’s admission ahead of Man City versus Sunderland.
O’Reilly has become England’s first-choice left-back since emerging as a real talent at the Etihad Stadium, making 18 appearances across all competitions in 2025-26.
Despite buying Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolves for £31million, the academy graduate has kept his spot in the starting lineup for much of the campaign, proving his worth at both ends of the pitch.
Against Fulham on Saturday, 3 December, however, the entire backline had a very difficult second half, as the Cottagers scored three goals to almost embarrass the Citizens. Luckily, it ended 5-4.
Unsurprisingly, Guardiola is threatening to make changes.
Nico O’Reilly could be rested by Pep Guardiola
When asked in his press conference (5 December) if O’Reilly could be dropped against the Black Cats on Saturday, 6 December, Guardiola said: “Yes, maybe. That is why I rotate, maybe too much, against Bayer Leverkusen.
“But the only reason why is that – for fresh legs. Look what happened in the second half against Fulham, our legs could not run anymore.”Maybe he will [get a rest], but I don’t know when. He is young. He is so young, a teenager, and he recovers well. We will see. Day by day.”
For those who have put the 20-year-old in their Fantasy Premier League teams over the last few weeks, you should probably look away now. Pep-roulette is in full swing.
Rayan Cherki has had to be patient with game time, and so too has Omar Marmoush after returning from injury, but with the Citizens sitting second in the Premier League table, his decisions have paid off so far.
What has the Man City boss said about Rayan Ait-Nouri?
The spotlight has been firmly on O’Reilly during his breakout campaign, unsurprisingly, leaving Ait-Nouri to pick up with the scraps, making just three Premier League starts this term.
He last started against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, but after 45 minutes, Guardiola had seen enough, hooking for the other left-back option during the half-time break.
Supporters expected a much better start to life in Manchester for the Algerian international, but it just hasn’t happened for him just yet. Fans will need to be patient.
The boss clearly still believes in the player, stating that he has only been benched so many times because of O’Reilly being in fine form. Let’s hope that’s the truth from Guardiola.