Manchester City hero Yaya Toure has labelled Pep Guardiola “a snake” after playing under the Spaniard at Barcelona and at the Etihad Stadium. Guardiola took charge of City in 2016 and has led the Citizens to six Premier League titles.

Toure and Guardiola worked together at Barcelona between 2007 and 2010, with the coach stepping up to become the club’s first-team manager in 2008 following a successful year in charge of their B team. But the ex-Ivory Coast international was in and out of the side under Guardiola’s leadership, with Sergio Busquets often selected ahead of him. And the star opted to move to England in the summer of 2010 after starring for his country at the World Cup.

Toure became a key player at City and helped the team win Premier League silverware in 2012 and 2014 before Guardiola arrived.

He was named African footballer of the year four years in a row between 2011 and 2014 as his influence on the pitch became apparent for club and country.

But after Guardiola took the reins at the Etihad Stadium, his City career petered out as the manager attempted to take the team to the next level.

Toure stayed at City until the summer of 2018 and won the league title for a third time. But he only started one league match during his final campaign at the club and went on to sign for Olympiacos on a free transfer after heading through the exit door in Manchester.

He stayed in Greece for a season before joining Chinese club QD Huanghai. The talented player eventually brought his career to an end at the start of 2020 at the age of 36.

Toure opened up about Guardiola during an appearance on the Zack en Roue Libre show. And he exclaimed: “I don’t see a man, I see a snake.

“The Barcelona coach calls me back then and says, ‘You have to come back, it’s important.’ My wife says to me, ‘Are you going to listen to that nonsense?’ He treated you like dirt, and now he wants you to stay, and you’re going to stay? Let’s go to Manchester, my brother.

“The guy didn’t play me all year, and at the end of the year I shine at the World Cup and he brings me to Barcelona. My wife would tell me about him. ‘Sheytan, he’s not a man, he’s wicked.’ She sees him as a negative person.”

Guardiola has been called out by a number of stars during his managerial career, with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Samuel Eto’o also taking aim at the 54-year-old in the past.

But the City boss has established himself as one of the best managers of all time after also excelling at Bayern Munich between 2013 and 2016. And he will be aiming to lead Manchester City to another Premier League title this season, with his side currently trailing leaders Arsenal by five points.