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Published 22:45 IST, November 19th 2019

Man City's former midfielder Yaya Toure names Nemanja Matic as his toughest opponent

Former Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure said that the toughest opponent that he faced in the Premier lea was Manchester United's midfilder, Nemanja Matic

Reported by: Ruchit Rastogi
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Former Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has said that the toughest opponent that he faced was Manchester United's Serbian midfielder, Nemanja Matic, as they frequently played against each other in Toure's 8-year stay in the Barclays Premier League. Toure also said that Matic was a very complicated player as he was not quick but was a very strong and clever player.

Toure's move from Barcelona to Manchester City

The Ivory Coast midfielder also talked about how his move from La Liga giants Barcelona to Manchester City formalized and how he was determined to win the Premier League title with his new team. Toure said that he was on a call with Chief Executive Garry Cook wherein Toure told him that he would come to Manchester City if he signed David Silva and Silva said that he would come to Manchester City if they signed Yaya Toure.

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Toure said that when he came to City, he came with the intention to win the Premier League and help establish Manchester City as one of the best teams in English football. He made people aware of how serious his intentions were when City won the FA Cup.

Read: Manchester City Are Eyeing A Move For RB Leipzig Defender Dayot Upamecano

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Toure finished his career with Manchester City with 79 goals in 316 appearances to his credit and then went on to play for Olympiacos and recently helped his current team, Qingdao Huanghai, back in the Chinese Super League.

Open to a return to the Premier League

Toure said that he was open to a return to the Premier League as he felt that he has 1 or 2 years more to offer in the English top flight. He said that it all depends on the team that offers him a contract and also depends on what they want to achieve. He is also open to a return as a player-coach as football is and will always be a part of his life.

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A bumpy ride for Matic at Manchester United

Nemanja Matic signed for Manchester United in 2017 and established himself as a key player in former manager Jose Mourinho's plans before falling out of favour under current United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Although, he hopes to revive his career at United or will look for a move away from the Red Devils in the January transfer window.

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(With inputs from agencies)

20:37 IST, November 19th 2019