Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has made it clear he does not see Benjamin Mendy as a long-term member of his squad, claims former Tottenham midfielder Tim Sherwood.
Mandy has struggled with injury throughout his time at Manchester City since joining from Monaco in 2017.
The Frenchman has started three Premier League games this season but was not in the squad for the trip to title-rivals Liverpool on Sunday.
Guardiola claimed after the game Mendy was not injured but could not play two matches in the space of a few days following the 1-1 Champions League draw at Atalanta.
But Sherwood says if Guardiola really saw the 25-year-old as a crucial member of his squad then he would have played him at Anfield.
“I think Angelino was a surprise to everyone, coming in at left-back for Man City,” Sherwood said on The Analysis Show.
“No Mendy, Mendy wasn’t even on the bench. I think Pep said afterwards that he was carrying an injury and he didn’t want to risk him.
“If you’re ever going to risk a player, possibly, it’s for this [game].
“So in my mind I think Pep’s made his mind up about Mendy, that he’s not the player that he wants long term.
“I think he likes to have footballers in the team.”
Mendy has joined up with the France squad ahead of the Euro 2020 qualifiers against Moldova and Albania.
After the loss to Liverpool, Guardiola said Mendy needs to gain fitness to be able to play twice in a week.
“It’s because Mendy after two seasons injured when he plays two games [in a week] – for example the day before yesterday he didn’t train,” the Spaniard said.
“He’ll go the national team now, he’s not injured. We need a time when he’s not injured and he can play every three or four days.”
Another City left-back, Oleksandr Zinchenko, is still a way off a return due to a knee injury.
Pep Guardiola said: ”[Zinchenko] had a contact with a knee, something in the bone. Four weeks, five weeks, more or less.
“It was something to clean a little bit. Not a big issue. Five weeks, six weeks.”
