Manchester City: Pep Guardiola calls for a change to the UEFA Cup rules so that Mark Guehi can play in the Wembley final

He added, “You buy a player for a lot of money and he cannot play according to a rule that I do not understand. I hope they can change it.”

City’s other January signing, winger Antoine Semenyu, arrived at the club from Bournemouth four days before their trip to the north-east for the first leg against Newcastle, in which he scored.

“Antoine arrived before the first [game] So you can play. And now it’s the final match. Why should he? [Guehi] Don’t play? Why not? Guardiola added: “We pay his salary, he is our player.”

“I told the club, ‘They have to ask, of course.’ I don’t understand why he can’t play in the final in March, when I’ve been here for a long time.

He added, “The rules for buying a player depend on FIFA, UEFA and the English Premier League, who say, well, the transfer period is open. When you buy a player, you have to play, right? This is logic. Of course we will try to ask.” [for] For him to play. Pure logic.

In response to a question about what he thought the answer would be from the English Premier League, the Spanish City coach added: “No, but we will try.”

City have already benefited from one rule change this season, which allowed players to play for two teams in the same competition, rather than in a cup tie.

This allowed Semenyu and Max Allen to feature in the semi-final matches, despite having featured for Bournemouth and Watford respectively in the previous rounds.