Pep Guardiola has not ruled out recalling captain Kyle Walker for Tuesday's match against Brentford.
The Manchester City boss announced after Saturday's 8-0 FA Cup tie against Salford that England right-back Walker had requested a transfer. With interest from Italy and Saudi Arabia, he could move in the January transfer window.
City will only let him go if the price is right, as the 34-year-old is still under contract until next summer. Guardiola said there was “no news” when asked on Monday if there was an update.
On whether Walker would return to the squad for the Premier League match in London, he added: “We will decide after training. I said what I said and I'm not going to add anything else. I have nothing else and Brentford is on my mind.”
Although City have reportedly agreed a £33.5m fee with Lens to sign defender Abdukodir Khusanov, Guardiola declined to comment – “the club has not announced anything” – and remained coy on other potential matters.
The Spaniard said: “I don't know. What I expect from the start of the season: Rodri's return is impossible, but everyone else will return. We would not have gone to the 'window', but we have had and still have many problems. That is why the club is thinking about what we want to do in this window and perhaps also in the summer.”
City are starting to emerge from their alarming slump and have now won three games. On whether they have made progress during that period, Guardiola admitted: “Of course we won three games. It used to be impossible to win one. That helped us, but the reality is that we won the last game because of the difference with League Two.
“We have done quite well, but we have to wait and see. The mood is better, but we have a huge, difficult match to watch. It's a fantastic team that always causes a lot of problems.”
Brentford are eleventh, but only Liverpool has a better home record than Thomas Frank's team this season. They have recorded seven wins and only two losses at Gtech Community Stadium.
On the secret of their success there, Guardiola said: “For a long time with Thomas and in set pieces and high pressing they are so aggressive and compact. The transitions are very dangerous, so it has been going very well in the Premier League for many years. Last year may not have been the best results on our own field, but the trajectory of the past few years has been really good.”
It is often speculated that Frank will eventually move on to a bigger club. Guardiola insisted: “Yes, I have the feeling that he is so happy there, that he feels comfortable. I have the feeling that sooner or later he will be appointed to a team that will fight for higher goals and he will do that very well.”
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