By Ewah Chika.

Yaya Toure's best days in the Premier League might be behind him judging from reports emanating from Manchester. Toure has been the shinning light in Manchester City and also the club's most important player in Premier League era considering his blistering form for the club since joining for £23 million from Barcelona in 2010. The Ivorian has scored a prolific 57 goals in 195 games in the league, winning the Premier League twice, League Cup twice and the FA Cup. The Ivorian is also the scorer of the only goal in the FA Cup final against Stoke City in 2011 which was City's first major trophy in 35 years. It did not end there as Toure provided the assist for Pablo Zabaleta (Opening goal) in the 3-2 win (end of the season ) over Queens Park Rangers) which helped the club to win the league in 2012 (their first in 44 years). The former Monaco midfielder was also named Manchester City's Player of the Year in 2014, also making the PFA Premier League Team of the Year twice (2011/2012 and 2013-2014).

Yet like always the case in football, all these records have little or no effect on the player's current plight at the club. Toure's problems started with the announcement of the appointment of Pep Guardiola by Manchester City in the winter, which Toure did not take kindly and this is because of the pairs fallout in Barcelona, which ended with the sale of midfielder to City in 2010. Toure had been a regular starter in Camp Nou in Guardiola's first season, winning the treble with the team before things fell apart resulting in his reduced game time the next season before his eventual sale. There are various reports in the media about reasons for the pairs fallout but though none have come out openly to make it public, it seems non-footballing reasons might be the problem .

"Whenever I asked him something, he always gave strange answers. He pretty ignored me until City's offer came in.

"That's why I eventually opted to leave. I didn't speak to Guardiola for a year. He had no faith in me," Toure revealed at the time in 2013.

Unfortunately for the player the fight has continued in City with the climax of the conflict being the non-inclusion of the former Monaco player in City's 21 man squad for this season's Champions League group stage. At 33, Toure might have lost some of the traits that made him a legend in the game but it is shocking to know that the Ivorian hasn't even made the bench in Guardiola's three league games this season with his only appearance coming in the return-leg of the Champions League qualifying round at home to Steau Bucharesti after winning the first leg 3-0 away in Romania. Toure might have lost some pace and become less mobile but it seems his problem is more of a vendetta than football matters. A look at Fernandinho who is the starter in the centre of midfield shows that the Brazilian is not a better tackler than Toure, nor is he better in intercepting passes or transmitting the ball from defence to attack, with pace the only area the Brazilian is better than Toure which is not much in any case as Fernadinho is 31 already .

On the other-hand, Toure should be held responsible for his plight as he has stubbornly decided to stay back at the Etihad when he has been told by Guardiola that he is surplus to requirements. From the first day of the Spaniard's appointment, the coach has made it clear though not publicly that the likes of Wilfried Bony, Joe Hart, Samir Nasri, Eloaquim Mangala and Yaya Toure were not part of his plans for the club this season. While these players left on loan, Toure remained at the club, a decision that smacks of greed rather than anything else considering he has only 12 months to run on his contract and at 33, he is already planning on retirement and moving to less glamorous country like China or the US next summer, hence pocketing his sign-on fee in the summer after signing a pre-contract in the winter.

The decision to constructively move on Toure isn't just peculiar to Guardiola and Manchester City alone as the likes of Jose Mourinho, Jurgen Klopp, Antonio Conte and Zinedine Zidane have done the same to the likes of Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Darmian and Bastian Schweinsteiger: Manchester United, Loic Remy and Cesc Fabregas: Chelsea, Mario Balotelli and Christian Benteke: Liverpool, Isco, Matteo Kovacic and James Rodriguez: Real Madrid. Rather what makes the case of Guardiola vs Toure more obvious lies in the fact that Toure has been the mainstay of Manchester City contributing more than any other player to their success in England with Sergio Aguero slightly behind him in that order.

"If he (Pep) wins the Champions League for City this season then I will travel to England and I will say on television that he is the best manager in the world.

"But if City don't win the Champions League then I hope that Pep has got the balls to say that he was wrong to humiliate a great player like Yaya.

"Perhaps Pep will think he (Toure) is good enough to play in the final 10 minutes of a League Cup game against a third division team," declared Dimitri Seluk (Yaya Toure's agent).

With the transfer window closed, it is clear that Yaya Toure will be in Manchester City at least until January, while it is highly unlikely he will see game time with the reason for his stay when clear he is surplus to requirements sketchy at the moment.

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