Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho on Tuesday announced he is unlikely to extend his stay at the club and that he plans to return to Brazil at the end of the season.
Fernandinho made the announcement as Manchester City prepared to travel to Spain and defend a 1-0 lead against Atletico Madrid in their Champions League quarter-final second leg.
Asked if he would be at the club next season, Fernandinho said: “I don't think so. I want to play. I will go back to Brazil. I decided with my family, which is the most important thing for me.”
Apart from Fernandinho's announcement, what is also likely to have a bearing on the match is City's exertions in the season-defining showdown with Liverpool on Sunday. The 2-2 draw at the Etihad left reigning champions City one point ahead of second-placed Liverpool at the top of the table with seven games remaining.
After travelling to Spain for the Champions League quarter-final, City face Liverpool again in the semi-finals of the FA Cup. City's Kyle Walker said he is looking forward to the tough tests ahead.
"These are the games that you want to be involved in," said Walker. "It's exciting."
The task will not get any easier, even though Atletico received a lot of criticism for their game plan in the first leg that was overly defensive and yielded no attempts on goal. Diego Simeone’s side need their attack to click after now going two games without scoring.
Simeone said that his team, who reached Champions League finals in 2014 and 2016, have an identity and will stick with it, despite having to win Wednesday's game to qualify for the semi-finals.
"We're up against a team that plays very well. A very good positional game, but we're hopeful. It's clear that hope alone isn't enough, but we're going to try to take the game where we can hurt them," the Argentine added.
"Words don't say much, the important thing is what happens after the game starts."
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