“In Italy there has never been a midfielder like Yaya Toure”. These where the words of former Inter coach Roberto Mancini when he returned to the club after his successful spell with Manchester City with the Ivorian international. He wanted to bring him to the San Siro this summer (before his recent departure) but now the future of the 33-year-old is uncertain.
 

Now Toure is stuck in limbo at Manchester City under new boss Pep Guardiola, the man who sold him to the Premier League side from Barcelona. A player, whose versatility made him one of the first names on the team sheet at the Camp Nou, is now frozen out at the Etihad after being omitted from Pep’s first two squads of the new season.  

Recent interest from China looked like it would give Toure a lifeline to get his career back on track but the closure of the transfer window in the Far-East has now ended immediate hopes of a move. The player, who is earning €13 million in Manchester, now looks destined to remain until June 2017 when his current contract expires. From the hit of the summer for Inter to becoming the “Prisoner of Gold” at Manchester City, it’s been a few months to forget for Yaya Toure.



By Marco Demicheli. Adapted and translated by Steve Mitchell