Manchester City man still ‘feels angry about what he did’ against Manchester United in FA Cup final

Josko Gvardiol has reflected on his individual error against Manchester United in last season’s FA Cup final, speaking to reporters upon arrival in the United States.

With Manchester City hoping to make it four trophy triumphs in a single season, Erik ten Hag’s men stood in their way for a second successive campaign after Pep Guardiola’s 2-1 victory in the 2023 edition of the FA Cup final.

However, there would be no such repeat for Manchester City in pursuit of a retained FA Cup, with the Old Trafford club emerging as 1-2 victors thanks to goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo.

United’s opener was largely viewed as a gift handed to them by their opponents, after Joško Gvardiol looked to head a deep pass from Diogo Dalot back to goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, who had come off his line, enabling Garnacho to pass it into an empty net.

Speaking to reporters in New York City this week, upon joining up with the Manchester City squad for the remainder of their pre-season tour of the United States, Josko Gvardiol has reflected on his individual error in last season’s FA Cup final.

“I still feel angry about what I did,” Gvardiol admitted, relayed by MailSport’s Jack Gaughan. “I wanted to pass the ball back to Stefan (Ortega). I didn’t see him, I thought he was on the line, I just wanted to head the ball back. Sometimes we need to talk more, to communicate more.”

The Manchester City defender continued by pointing towards the perfect opportunity for revenge, “I just want to win the Community Shield and show that we are ready for next season. If we win that game it will be like a wind behind our backs, pushing us.”

Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic have become the first Manchester City players who competed at the European Championships to return to the club for pre-season training duties, linking up with the squad in New York City.

The Premier League champions take on AC Milan at Yankee Stadium on Saturday night in their second pre-season encounter of the United States tour, hoping to make amends for their defeat in a 3-4 thriller against Celtic in North Carolina earlier this week.

Manchester City’s remaining two matches will see the club come up against FC Barcelona and Chelsea in Orlando, Florida and Colombus, Ohio prior to returning to the UK to finalise preparations for the FA Community Shield against Manchester United.