Mendy turned up THREE hours late, blasts angry Pep

BENJAMIN MENDY has further infuriated Pep Guardiola by turning up three hours late for a physio session. The Manchester City manager rebuked Mendy, currently recovering from a bruised foot, for his tardiness last Sunday in what is becoming a worrying trend.

The French left back’s timekeeping has been a problem before and he was fined for a late arrival at training earlier in the season. Mendy, 24, was in a front-row seat at Wembley to watch Anthony Joshua stop Alexander Povetkin the night before his latest indiscretion.

Guardiola, who has only recently introduced fines for lateness, insisted Mendy’s boxing trip was not a problem but became exasperated by his lack of punctuality.

‘I spoke with him. They should be here and he knows it,’ said Guardiola. ‘I’m unhappy at every player arriving late. They have to be on time.

‘Normally, when you arrive on time you arrive on time in the game. At the high level when you arrive late you arrive late in the game. I expect him back when he’s fit. When he’s OK he’s coming back and when he decides to play he’s going to play.’

Certain issues have beset Mendy’s second season, not least the one-year driving ban imposed last week after he accumulated 24 points on his licence.

Mendy (right) has not played since the victory against Newcastle on September 1 and City have yet to say when he will return.

His presence on social media has been toned down recently after Guardiola suggested he was paying too much attention to his phone.

The City boss insisted the art of management is no different now to when he started at Barcelona but admitted privacy has become difficult to maintain. ‘The egos are the same — the only difference is social media,’ he said. ‘Before, nobody knew what the players did in the locker room or outside. Now everybody knows everything.’ Guardiola, who expects to have Kevin De Bruyne back in training next week, also said that he wants Vincent Kompany to sign a new contract. The Belgian’s current deal runs down at the end of the season and he is due for a testimonial next August after spending 10 years at City. ‘It is my wish (that he stays),’ Guardiola said. ‘He played the Carabao Cup as if it was the Champions League final. That means a lot to me. ‘If he plays five minutes then they will be the best five minutes of his life. ‘ He’s a good example for Phil (Foden) and everybody else in our squad.’