Hill says it’s my way or the highway at Rochdale
ROCHDALE players will buy into Keith Hill’s methods – or find themselves ‘out of the system’ at the Crown Oil Arena.
That was the clear cut message from the Dale chief at the end of the squad’s week-long pre-season training camp in Tenerife.
Hill stressed the fact his players had undertaken a great deal of positive, valuable work during the seven-day camp.
However, he identified several players who were not meeting the high standards he sets at Rochdale or striving for the kind of improvement he seeks.
“I’m in a situation where, without revealing names, there are certain players who’ve been with me for three years and they are still doing the same things.
“You can’t keep doing the same things and expect better or more success,” he told the club’s official website.
“So I said to the players – we had individual meetings and we’ll have them again this week – about whether they had progressed or regressed and one or two are not standing up to what they promised me they would do.
“It’s my job as manager to make sure we improve that and trust me, I can improve the squad by recruiting. But I want to give these players an opportunity to show what’s necessary. One or two, maybe three or four, aren’t doing that.
“I want to work with these players but if they don’t want to work my way and they are refusing, and they are stubborn and they listen to somebody else’s message, then they are wrong for the football club.
“We have had some great work and 99 per cent of the players are trying to do the right thing.
“One or two will definitely improve because it’s just constantly reminding players, but players who fight the system won’t be in the system, it’s as simple as that.”
Dale returned home on Thursday and beat AFC Fylde on Saturday in a warm-up game, Steven Davies netting the winner. Joe Bunney was ruled out having picked up and injury in Tenerife.
“We’ve got an injury that looks quite serious to Joe Bunney, so I’m not going to wait, I need to recruit a left back,” added Hill. CITY’S squad flew out to Houston this morning for the start of their USA tour... minus some big names.
The Blues have travelled ahead of their clash with United in the early hours of Friday morning, which will be the first Manchester derby ever played outside England.
And while most of the big guns were on the flight from Manchester ARO Muric has certainly caught the eye in his first season at City.
At 6ft 5in, it is nearly impossible to miss the hulking frame of the teenage goalkeeper and only marginally easier to squeeze a football past when he is at full stretch.
Such natural advantages make him Airport, it was the omissions which sparked most of the interest.
And with City not confirming the names in their tour party, and not covering the departure extensively themselves, plenty of fuel has been thrown on the rumour fires.
Samir Nasri, Eliaquim Mangala and Jason Denayer, all surplus to requirements, were unexpectedly on the flight, but Wilfried Bony, in the same boat, was not
So who wasn’t on the plane, and who was? stand out, but how exactly did a player whose inspirations range from Manuel Neuer to Stevan Jovetic see him fast-tracked onto the pre-season tour with boss Pep Guardiola?
Muric only started playing in goal aged 11 when his dad’s mates convinced him to try the position – and quickly found out he loved everything about it.
He has been helped by his physical
LEROY SANE and YAYA TOURE were both conspicuous by their absence, both key members of the City squad last season.
With Toure, last season’s standoff between his agent Dmitri Seluk and manager Pep Guardiola – which resulted in him being banned from matchday squads for two months – will always lead to speculation.
But M.E.N. Sport understands that both players will fly out separately from the main party either today or Wednesday, for mundane reasons. KELECHI IHEANACHO The striker is expected to leave this summer with Leicester favourites to land him in a £25m move, so his absence is no great surprise.
JADON SANCHO
The 17-yearold is tipped for greatness but, while his youth team colleagues Brahim Diaz and Phil Foden were on the plane, Sancho was not spotted.
That fuelled the talk that he may development – he shot up eight inches in the three years after his 15th birthday, although he reckons he has stopped growing now.
The Swiss youth international also has the character and confidence to take the game to his opponents and is happy to do anything he can to unsettle them.
Anybody who took a penalty against City’s Under-18s last season usually found Muric in their face want to leave for Arsenal or Spurs, but he trained with the first team squad all last week and City sources say it is 100 per cent certain he will stay. NICOLAS OTAMENDI Mystery has surrounded the Argentina defender after he was not involved in City’s first week of training. But he will also travel in the next couple of days, via a different route, for reasons unknown. FERNANDO City have maintained that he will only be sold this summer if a decent offer comes in. Newcastle have been interested but their £5m valuation appeared to have fallen short – but his absence from the flight indicates that a move is afoot. FABIAN DELPH The Yorkshireman was placed on the unwanted list at the start of the summer and has attracted interest from Newcastle and Stoke, with a £12m fee mooted. He appears to have been left at home, with a deal possibly being done in the next fortnight. before it, while he was often seen jaunting out of his penalty box and taking on attackers (with varying degrees of success).
Remarkably, high lines and playing out from the back were new concepts to the youngster before he moved to Manchester from Grasshoppers Zurich in 2016.
Jovetic may have been his hero growing up – the former City player understandably was for Muric and his