There’s been a great debate surrounding Pep Guardiola’s decision to name just six substitutes for Manchester City’s match against Burnley on Saturday.

"We don't have any more players, that is the reason why," Guardiola explained before his side’s 1-1 draw at Turf Moor.

“We have one goalkeeper and five players. We could take one from [the] second team but they played a game [on Friday].”

Guardiola was without a string of first-team players, with David Silva, Fabian Delph, Benjamin Mendy, Phil Foden, Leroy Sane and Gabriel Jesus all out with injuries and John Stones suffering from illness.

Yet his refusal to call up a youth team player really irked Gary Neville.

"I think it's a joke, an absolute joke,” Neville said on Sky Sports.

"I don't know why he is peddling that story. It's poor to not bring a young player. It's really poor.

“I can guarantee you that the academy and youth team coaches at Man City will be really disheartened by that. I guarantee you.”

Alan Shearer: Guardiola must accept rough tackling

Alan Shearer has weighed in on the matter and he’s issued a stern message to Guardiola.
Many believe that the Man City boss was pointing out that he can’t filled a full bench as a result of the rash challenges that his players have received this season, but Shearer believes he must simply deal with it.

“I think he was trying to make a point to say that’s he’s got a lot of injuries and teams are kicking his players but why didn’t he put one of the youngsters on the bench instead of trying to make a point like that?,” Shearer said on Match of the Day.

Shearer expanded more on the tackling issue before Crystal Palace's match against Newcastle on Sunday.

“His club are miles better than anyone else this season... so when you go against his Man City team you are going to try and rough them up and be physical,” Shearer said.

“We have seen some poor challenges but that happens. That is our game. This is what happens in our Premier League. To win the league you’ve got to put up with that.

“You’ve got to put up with so much and, I get why he’s having a moan, but you’ve got to be bigger and accept that that is our game and our league and that happens.”

Guardiola probably does understand that ‘that happens’.

But he has every right to be angry when Sane is ruled out for multiple weeks after a horror challenge that didn’t even warrant a red card.