Manchester City’s Portuguese defender Joao Cancelo controls the ball during the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on January 14, 2023.
Joao Cancelo says he joined Bayern Munich on loan due to a lack of playing time at Manchester City.
The Bundesliga side confirmed on transfer deadline day that they had signed the 28-year-old “on an initial deal through to the end of the current season,” with the switch including a buy option of €70million (£61.6m, $76.3m).
Cancelo had recently fallen out of favour under Pep Guardiola, starting only two of City’s last nine games in all competitions as academy graduate Rico Lewis, as well as Nathan Ake, John Stones and Kyle Walker, were preferred in the full-back slots.
Speaking at a news conference, Cancelo said: “I’ve not had much game time in the past few weeks, which influenced my decision.
There was speculation that my relationship with Pep was not the best but fact is I wanted to play more.
Cancelo, who scored five goals and set up 11 more in 98 Premier League games for City, was frequently used a creative full-back who often moved into midfield, and Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic declared him an “optimal fit”.
Cancelo joins a Bayern team that have faltered in the Bundesliga in recent weeks.
