Yaya Toure focus solely on Manchester City

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini insists Yaya Toure is focused on the Blues’ current push for silverware and not thinking about which club he might be playing for next season.

Toure’s controversial agent Dimitri Seluk was this week quoted as saying of the midfielder, whose contract with City runs until 2017, could be on the move come the summer.

When asked about Seluk s comments yesterday, Pellegrini admitted the long-term future is unclear but stressed how important it was for all players to “think in the present” rather than look too far ahead.

But he also said he was convinced Toure was absolutely of that mindset.

“I know what Yaya thinks. I think that Yaya is mentally absolutely involved in this season, and that he is not thinking about his future,” Pellegrini said.

“He wants to continue being the same important player that he has been for this team in other years.”

Pellegrini was speaking ahead of today’s Premier League trip to West Ham, where he wants his players to underline their title credentials.

City are very much in the title race but their results have been inconsistent, with those registered on the road particularly troubling for Pellegrini, the Blues winning only one of their past seven away league games.

Pellegrini is keen to see the attacking football from his side continue, and said: “We must try to arrive as soon as we can at the top of the table.

“It is not easy but we must try to demonstrate why we are fighting for the title.”

For his part, West Ham boss Slaven Bilic is optimistic his team can beat City for the second time this season.

The Hammers won 2-1 at City in September and Bilic said; “We have done it before — and with the greatest respect to them as I really believe they are the best side in England — we are playing at home.

“We have been playing really well at home.”