Pundit warns Manchester City about keeping four key figures following Champions League ban

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In light of UEFA’s decision to ban Manchester City from the next two Champions League campaigns, a former player turned pundit has sent a warning to the powers that be at the Etihad Stadium.

In his column for Mirror, Stan Collymore hasn’t held back in his condemnation of the club and their practices, and has suggested that as many as four key components of the City success story could jump ship.

MORE: Opinion: Barcelona beckons for Pep Guardiola in the wake of Manchester City’s Champions League ban

“My fear if I was a City fan would be that, in the short term, if the ban is upheld then we could lose any of Pep Guardiola, Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling,” he wrote.

“And if I was manager of, ironically, any of the other G14 clubs, I’d have been excitedly ringing my chairman or owner this weekend asking if we could chance a bid for one of those players.”

There’ll likely be little sympathy towards City, with La Liga president, Javier Tebas, just one to already put the boot in on the current Premier League champions, per Independent.

Collymore is an acquired taste as far as football punditry is concerned, but his words do carry weight, and it’s safe to assume that many will agree with his sentiments.

For now, it’s business as usual for City, and there’s no indication that the status quo will change.

However, if the carrot of European football is taken away from Pep and his players, it’s hard to imagine that any of them will be sticking around for the next two years.

More Stories Javier Tebas Kevin De Bruyne Pep Guardiola Raheem Sterling Sergio Aguero Stan Collymore