Pep Guardiola has declared there is space at Manchester City for Benjamin Mendy's sense of humour, as long as he maintains focus on the pitch.
Left-back Mendy is aiming to build some momentum at City after missing much of last season with a knee ligament injury sustained against Crystal Palace last September.
He returned to action in April, in time to make France's squad for their World Cup-winning campaign in Russia, where he played once, in the final group match against Denmark in Moscow.
Mendy has started the season by playing in two City victories, 2-0 over Chelsea in the Community Shield then Arsenal, by the same score, in the Premier League at the Emirates Stadium last Sunday.
Guardiola, though, was critical of Mendy's positioning against Arsenal, saying that "sometimes you want to kill him; sometimes you want to say, Wow, what a player we have".
He also suggested that the defender should cut down on his prolific and humorous use of social media.
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However, City's manager has acknowledged that Mendy's high spirits do plenty to keep his City team-mates in a good mood.
"He's a nice person. He has a big heart. What we want is to help him to be focused in every training session and every game," Guardiola said.
"In the locker room, having people such as Benjamin Mendy is so important for our environment.
"It's important to have guys who make the other guys laugh and make good moments.
"In the last game, he played well, and it is not easy after one year out injured.
"In the World Cup, he played one game and then after that did not play. Then he came here and played.
"He gives us something extra, as I've said so many times. So it's good that he is back and he can play."
- Emerging Foden -
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