Would have caused unrest

from the Gunners. Yet despite the riches of his Abu Dhabi owner Sheikh Mansour, Guardiola feels Sanchez’s wage demands could have caused a dressing-room rift among his title-chasers and he backed the club’s stance to pull out of the deal for a player who would have become a free agent this summer.

“Normally we try to be stable with the wages of the players because it’s good for the team and stability of the club,” said Guardiola. “In my period at Barcelona, at Bayern Munich and now here, I have never put pressure on a club when they say, ‘It is too much’.

“Immediately I accept that decision and move forward to find another solution.

“The stability of the club is the most important thing. And we’ve spent a lot of money, I’m not denying it.”

Guardiola said it would have been a mistake for Sanchez to have joined City if his heart was not in the move. “If they move and they are not completely committed, it is a mistake for the player, for the manager and for the club as well,” he added.

“I respect the decision of the player. It’s not the first time in my career that I wanted a player and they decided to move on to another club.”

Meanwhile Michael Carrick, 36, will call time on his playing career at the end of the season and has verbally accepted Mourinho’s offer to join his coaching staff.