Manchester City full back Benjamin Mendy prepared to go without his phone to please Pep Guardiola
Guardiola told the full-back to cut down on his use of social media last week
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Your support makes all the difference.Benjamin Mendy is ready to heed Pep Guardiola’s advice regarding social media and go without his phone following his excellent start to the season with Manchester City.
Despite missing much of last year’s title-winning campaign with a knee ligament injury, Mendy became a cult hero thanks to his lively online presence.
The charismatic 24-year-old is now fit again and demonstrating why City paid £52million to sign him from Monaco last summer, with three assists in his last two outings.
Guardiola, however, publicly warned Mendy last week to “forget a little bit the social media and improve a few things,” claiming there are times he could “kill” the left-back.
Mendy has promised to take Guardiola’s words on board and is depriving himself of his phone while at training and in the dressing room.
“Every time I am with my phone, I am on Instagram or Twitter and just now I need to be careful,” he said after City’s 6-1 thrashing of Huddersfield Town on Sunday.
“When I am at the training centre, the CFA [City Football Academy], I don’t use my phone but instead I listen to the manager.
“The manager is the manager. If he says something, I need to listen to him. So I keep low, and on the pitch I give everything for the team and the fans.”
City supporters may be disappointed to see fewer videos of dressing-room celebrations and insights into life around the club, but Mendy knows he must follow his manager’s orders.
“I know the fans love it, but the manager is the chief of the team, so when he says something I have to listen to him,” he said.
“Every player understands this. So in the dressing room, everywhere, I don’t pick up my phone.”
Mendy’s assist for Sergio Aguero’s third goal against Huddersfield on Sunday was his third of the season so far, following two against Arsenal on the opening weekend.
“I prefer an assist to scoring a goal – for me it’s more beautiful,” Mendy said when asked about his recent creative prowess.
“It is my vision. If I can score but there is a player to pass to, I give them the ball.
“I have worked a lot for this but the first thing is that the team played very well. We focussed on the objective – the first home game is very important for the fans and my teammates.”
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