'I love Man City' - Toure keen for stay after being given new lease of life under Guardiola

The midfielder has opened up on his relationship with Pep Guardiola and says he wants to prove he was right to bring him back into the team

Yaya Toure says Pep Guardiola is the reason he has been able to regain his best form at Manchester City and that he definitely wants to stay at the Etihad Stadium after this season.

The midfielder was left out of City’s plans at the start of the season after falling out with Guardiola and looked destined to leave the club.

However, Toure has been restored to the first team after apologising to his coach and now says he wants to remain at the club after his current deal expires this summer.

“Definitely. I love this football club,” he told Sky Sports when asked if he would like to stay.

“The day I will be done, I'll know myself. I know my body and I'll say, 'Yes, I'm done'”.

Toure also admitted that while the early part of the season was difficult for him, he has Guardiola to thank for managing to get him back playing again at the top of his form.

“To be honest the manager was the one who tried to get my best,” he added. “Last year I was overweight, it was a difficult situation, there were a lot of problems with my family.

“I was talking with him most of the time and people were not seeing that on the screen. Those talks will stay between him and me. He knows what I can do and what I'm capable of doing.

“Like he said, he's been honest with me. He is the guy that pushed me up, made me come back and that's why I'm feeling respectful with him and that's why I want to show him he was right.

“Psychologically he was quite hard. To manage a football player at this time is so difficult because football players have to deal with so many things.

“People have different ways of behaving. We are human beings as sportspeople and we have to understand that. He's been clever in a lot of aspects, not just with

“He is a special guy in football and I think for me it was something quite bizarre in the beginning. I knew him from.

"Barcelona and Barcelona was tough in the beginning as well because the guy is a hard worker and he wants his players at 100 per cent.

“'Just do what I want on the field and we are friends. If you don't, bye.”