Pep Guardiola said he would withdraw from Manchester City's manager if there is a large squad to choose from after the summer transfer market.

Many of Manchester City's senior players were not included in the 3-1 victory against Bournemouth on Tuesday, and Guardiola said he was unhappy with throwing so many players away.

Abdukodir Khusanov, Savinho, James McAtee, Claudio Echeverri and Rico Lewis all missed the match in Tuesday's 20-man match-day lineup as City advanced to third in the Premier League and Champions League qualifiers.

But while this shows that Guardiola's depth is masterable, the Spaniards hope to work with a smaller squad.

He said: "I said to the club, I don't want that (a bigger team). I don't want to leave five or six players in the refrigerator. I don't want that. I'll quit. I'll quit. Be a short team, I'll stay."

Guardiola said, “My soul cannot” let the player watch from the stands.

The 54-year-old added: "Maybe (for three months) we can't pick 11 players, we don't have a defender, it's so difficult.

"As a manager, I can't train 24 players, and every time I choose, I have to have four, five, six of them at home living in Manchester because they can't play. It won't happen. I said to the club. I don't want that."

Manchester City suffered many key injuries in January, spending more than £200 million for four players in January. Kevin de Bruyne is one of those players who will certainly leave in the summer, and Jack Grealish's future is doubtful.

When asked if this means more exports are inevitable, Guardiola signed a deal until 2027 to keep him in the club - "It's a problem with the club. I don't want to have 24, 25, 26 players when everyone is right for everyone. If I get hurt, unfortunately we have some players, we have some academy players.

Guardiola said it was impossible for a big team and it was important for the “soul of the team” that his players “a different connection with each other”, which we lost a little this season.

All Premier League clubs can have a team of 25 people, but this is not an exhaustive list of all players who are eligible to play. A team can also include 21 players under the age of 21 who are eligible for more than 25-man squads.

Manchester City's website lists 28 first-team members, and four players on loan elsewhere.

Guardiola has explained in the past,,,,, External Why he prefers to manage a smaller team, entering the 2023/24 season with 20 senior players.