‘They come fatty’ – Pep Guardiola threatens to axe Man City stars from squad amid Christmas fear

Pep Guardiola has revealed he will weigh Manchester City’s stars on Christmas Day – and will drop them if they are overweight.

The Citizens are just two points behind leaders Arsenal heading into the festive fixtures, and are on a seven-game winning streak in all competitions.

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City beat West Ham 3-0 on Saturday in their last match before Christmas, and their manager has adopted a strict regime to keep his players fit and firing.

Guardiola‘s side travel to Nottingham Forest on December 27, but he is keen for his players not to overindulge over Christmas.

‘I want to control them’

Having already refused his stars a day off after their latest win, the Spaniard has now taken things a step further, by vowing to drop anyone who returns overweight for their next game.

This isn’t the first time Guardiola has taken such measures – previously banishing Kalvin Phillips and Samir Nasri for failing to stay in shape.

And he has now revealed that every City player was weighed after their victory over West Ham.

It doesn’t stop there though, with the 54-year-old insisting they will then be weighed again when they report for training ahead of the weekend.

There will be brutal measures for anyone who returns more than three kilograms heavier, as Guardiola promised they will play no part in the 12:30 kick-off.

The Man City boss said: “Yesterday every player made weight.

“On the 25th, I will be there controlling how many kilos come up.

“They come fatty… listen, I didn’t say one word I’ve said today to make them feel… no, this is the truth.

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“The moment they arrive after three days, I want to see how they come back.

“They can eat at Christmas, but I want to control them. I have to make a selection for the [December] 27 [match] against Nottingham Forest.

“Imagine one player who is now perfect arrives with three kilos more, he will be in Manchester, he won’t travel to Nottingham Forest, that’s for sure.”

While he will be keeping a close eye on his players’ diets over the festive period, Guardiola admitted he was pleased to see his players be given an extra day off this year.

Unlike usual, only one Premier League fixture will be played on Boxing Day, with the rest falling between December 27 and 28.

He added: “What I learned from England is give as many days off as you can.

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“The schedule is so tight and the players have to go with their families, forget about football

“The more they arrive in the right mood, the more  fresh their legs are.

“That’s why I have to recover. I will be with my family, with champagne and my father, 94 years old — give me more, give me more days.”

Man City need no extra motivation heading into the festive fixtures, as they look to knock Arsenal off top spot in the table.

The Sky Blues can overtake them for a couple of hours at least if they beat Forest, with the Gunners not in action against Brighton until 3pm on Saturday.