Manchester City pleases Yaya Touré

As Yaya Touré turns 32, he has been urged to stay at Manchester City by his team-mate Wilfried Bony.

Twelve months ago, Touré was at the centre of one of the most farcical transfer stories in recent years – with the midfielder reportedly determined to leave after City failed to mark his birthday sufficiently. The player’s adviser, Dimitri Seluk, complained his client was “upset” because officials at City failed to shake his hand, adding: “It’s really sick”.

Last week, Seluk again cast doubt on Touré’s position at City, claiming the Ivory Coast international was “90%” certain to leave the club this summer.

City fans have been doing all they can to make sure the midfielder stays. They sang Happy Birthday to the player during Sunday’s 6-0 defeat of QPR, while the club on Wednesday marked the occasion with a special tweet.

Touré played a big part in persuading Bony to move to the Etihad Stadium from Swansea in January and the striker wants his City and Ivory Coast team-mate to stay. “I talk to him about it all the time,” Bony said. “He knows what I think. He brought me here so he needs to stay.

“He told me about this being a big club, how we were the champions. He told me it was a club that always fights – and I am always a fighter so I liked that. He told me about the pressure, everything.

“For sure everyone wants to keep him here. He’s a legend for this club for sure, he always will be. We hope he stays, he’s a big player here and we know everything he is doing for the club.”

Touré has scored eight league goals so far this season – fewer than half the tally he amassed last term – but Bony thinks it is important not to be too hard on his team-mate.

“It’s been difficult for him but you have to remember it’s been three years where there’s been big tournaments, World Cup and the African Nations Cup,” he said. “You need to play a lot of matches, you are playing in high temperatures, it’s not easy. Injuries can also occur in that time, the pressure and expectations are high.

“There are some things in football you can’t control, like when the tournaments come round, when you get injured. You just have to try to deal with them and help the team.”