Manchester City's Yaya Toure, left, shakes hands with manager Manuel Pellegrini after being substituted during his team's 5-0 win against Fulham in their English Premier League soccer match at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England, Saturday March 22, 2014 (AP)
Manchester City's Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure said on Wednesday that his good relationship with coach Manuel Pellegrini was the main reason for staying with the English side.
The Ivorian international Yaya Toure was close to leaving Manchester City over the summer but he stayed out of loyalty to his manager Manuel Pellegrini.
"I've stayed because of Manuel," Toure was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail on Wednesday.
"He always talks to me, giving me some piece of advice. He has been aware of my life off the pitch.
"'He has been like a father to me in difficult moments. I have never felt like that with another coach."
The 32-year-old revealed that he and his teammates are determined to bounce back from a winless season 2014-2015 that saw the team lose their Premier League title won by Jose Mourinho's side Chelsea.
"Before this season, all the players had a talk and we promised the boss we would recover our level.
"We had to do it for him, for us and for the fans — we have to win important things this season," he added.
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