Yaya Toure clears up Liverpool confusion after attending pre-season camp
There were a few eyebrows raised when Manchester City legend Yaya Toure was pictured at Liverpool ’s pre-season training camp in Austria this week.
Toure spent eight years at City – winning three Premier League titles and establishing himself as a club legend – before leaving in 2018.
The former Barcelona midfielder hung up his boots last year and is now coach of Russian side Akhmat Grozny but has been at the Reds training camp in Saalfelden.
The confusion has now been cleared up by Liverpool ace Sadio Mane, who has revealed that he asked Toure whether he would be interested in watching the side train.
The Senegalese star thought it would be a good idea for Toure to learn and improve as a coach, with the invitation receiving the green light from Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.
Mane explained to Liverpoolfc.com : “I said, ‘Yaya, do you think it is the best idea to come to watch our training?!’ He said, ‘My friend, I’m coming there! Just ask your boss!’
“He is a very, very good guy and I have known him since 2004. He’s a good friend of mine so we always keep in touch and when he asked me if I can ask the boss whether he can come to watch training I said, ‘With pleasure’ and I think the boss was happy to have Yaya with us today to watch training and learn something because I wish him all the best.
“He wants to be a manager in the future and all the boys were happy to see him, to have a quick conversation with him and have a little bit of a talk about City and Liverpool. It was nice to meet him again.”
Earlier this year, Toure told The Athletic he had apologised to Pep Guardiola after previously claiming the City boss had “problems with Africans wherever he goes” and claimed his coaching reputation is “a myth”.
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Toure said in April: “I want to apologise for what happened, I want to apologise for doing something wrong.
“When something happens that is wrong and you make a mistake, or people use your name and use you to do some wrong stuff, you have to make it OK.
“This one was wrong. I want to apologise for what happened, I want to apologise for doing something wrong.
“We decided we would try to communicate with some important people at the club to apologise and say I’ve been indecent to the club.
“Since then, it has been a very, very long while waiting for an answer, but we don’t get it. And, of course, if he feels like that, I cannot do anything. Of course, I’ve been in touch with some people there. But the people at the top, it’s impossible.”
After leaving City, Toure had spells at Olympiakos and Qingdao Huanghai before ending his playing career and moving into coaching.
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