‘He will [stay] in Manchester’ - Guardiola warns players that they will be dropped if they eat too much Christmas food

The City manager revealed that every player was weighed on Friday and will face the scales again when they return to training. 

He is determined to ensure that festive treats like mince pies and turkey don't derail their fitness ahead of the trip to Forest on December 27.

The decision came after he was left unimpressed with aspects of their performance during a 3-0 victory over West Ham United, a result that kept them in close pursuit of Premier League leaders Arsenal.

The Spanish manager is taking a hard line with his squad, demanding discipline over the festive period after a performance he deemed unsatisfactory.

"[On Friday] every player makes a weight," Guardiola stated. "When they come back on the 25th, I will be there controlling how many kilos come up. They [get] fatty... then I have to make a selection for the 27th against Nottingham Forest."

"Imagine one player, now he’s perfect, but he will arrive with three kilos more. He will [stay] in Manchester. He will not travel to Nottingham Forest, that’s for sure. They can eat [at Christmas], but I want to control them."

City's players were originally scheduled for a four-day break starting Sunday, returning on Christmas Day. However, Guardiola cut this to three days as a direct consequence of what he perceived as shortcomings against West Ham. 

"The players asked me to take a day off [on Sunday] and I said ‘No, because you didn’t play well enough’," the manager explained. 

"So [Sunday] recovery, train the guys that didn’t play, and after three days off and then you have two days to prepare for Nottingham Forest."