Pep Guardiola rules out January move for Holland's Frenkie de Jong
Guardiola has declared that he is happy that his squad is strong enough to see him through the season
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Pep Guardiola has indicated that any Manchester City move from Frenkie de Jong will wait until the summer after ruling out an entry into the January transfer market.
City are the favourites to sign Holland midfielder De Jong, 21, as a long-term replacement for Fernandinho.
Guardiola has declared that he is happy that his squad is strong enough to see him through the season, though, effectively also quashing the idea of a mid-season move to replace the injured Benjamin Mendy.
The City manager said: “We are not going to spend anything [in January]. I am so happy with the squad, and people are coming back, so no, no.
“When we created the squad at the beginning of the season, it was not to go to the January [window] unless we have problems.
“But I have a deep squad, and a lot of players cannot play even though I trust them a lot. They believe I don’t like them but that is not true.
“I trust a lot in all the players, all of them. It’s a joy to be with them but it is what it is. When there are some injuries, another one is going to play.
“If they cannot play, you have a few players in the academy that maybe are going to help us for a few moments or a few minutes. We are not going to go to January in the market, no way.”
France full-back Mendy is set to be out until late February after having surgery on the meniscus in his left knee, which he injured shortly before the most recent international break.
His absence will further stretch a squad still missing Belgium playmaker Kevin de Bruyne and Portuguese midfielder Bernardo Silva, neither of whom will feature for the Premier League leaders at West Ham.
However, De Bruyne could be ready for the Premier League trip to Watford on 4 December as he continues his recovery from a knee injury, while Silva is around a week away from full fitness after suffering a muscle problem.
Guardiola, meanwhile, has hinted that he could be willing to extend his stay at City beyond 2021, despite suggesting earlier in the week that he had a long-term interest in international management.
The former Barcelona manager signed a contract extension during the summer, and has declared that he is happy with the set-up at the Etihad Stadium.
He said: “I’m delighted to be here, I have everything a manager needs. The organisation is supportive whatever the result.
“If we didn’t have the results I would be the first one to take a step back but the people above me trust what our staff is doing.
“I have a young squad, good facilities – I have everything. I have protection, my family is doing well in Manchester.
“I don’t rule anything out in terms of my contract. We will see. This is day by day. In two months, football can change every impression you have right now. You can lose the locker room, you can see the players don’t follow you any more and make bad decisions. It’s going well and I’ll maybe stay longer. I don’t know.”
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