Pep Guardiola has admitted he openly criticised Yaya Toure in front of his team-mates following Manchester City’s FA Cup win against Middlesbrough.

Toure impressed on Saturday as City secured a comfortable 2-0 victory at the Riverside. The Ivorian was influential in the build-up to David Silva’s early opener and went on to receive a standing ovation when leaving in the second half.

But the 33-year-old, who is out of current at the end of the season and has yet to sign a new deal at the Etihad, was not immune to criticism from the City manager.

“In some things, he did not make good things - he knows that,” Guardiola revealed.

“I spoke to him in front of the team.”

Toure’s relationship with Guardiola got off to a tempestuous start this season, with the midfielder’s agent openly criticising the City boss for opting to leave his client out of the side’s Champions League squad.

The outspoken Dimitri Seluk went on to spark a bitter war of words with Guardiola, accusing him of treating the club’s players “like dogs” while arguing Toure had been left "humiliated". The Catalan subsequently insisted he would not play the City veteran until an apology was issued.

Middlesbrough 0 Manchester City 2 player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Middlesbrough 0 Manchester City 2 player ratings Middlesbrough 0 Manchester City 2 player ratings Brad Guzan – 8 out of 10 Made several vital saves and was under constant pressure throughout. Kept Boro in it at times. Middlesbrough 0 Manchester City 2 player ratings Antonio Barragan – 5 out of 10 Struggled against the pace of Sane, which resulted in a number of City chances. Middlesbrough 0 Manchester City 2 player ratings Bernardo Espinosa – 5 out of 10 Was replaced just after the interval due to injury. Had a mediocre first half at the back. Middlesbrough 0 Manchester City 2 player ratings Ben Gibson – 6 out of 10 Held the shape well, but looked out-classed by the quality of the City strike force. Middlesbrough 0 Manchester City 2 player ratings Fabio – 7 out of 10 Continued to charge up the pitch and had the confidence to go for goal when the opportunity arose. Middlesbrough 0 Manchester City 2 player ratings Marten De Roon – 5 out of 10 Saw very little of the ball, but when he got the chance he did cause problems for the City defence. Middlesbrough 0 Manchester City 2 player ratings Adam Clayton – 6 out of 10 Pumped deliveries up the field and attempted to create a lot of chances, but it did not always go his way today. Middlesbrough 0 Manchester City 2 player ratings Grant Leadbitter – 4 out of 10 His temper let him down today. He was crashing into unnecessary challenges, not how a skipper should play. Middlesbrough 0 Manchester City 2 player ratings Adama Traore – 6 out of 10 His build-up play is promising, but he always seems to lack the final product. Physically, he is excellent. Middlesbrough 0 Manchester City 2 player ratings Rudy Gestede – 5 out of 10 Had to be subbed in the early stages due to injury. Prior to that, he was dominating in the air. Middlesbrough 0 Manchester City 2 player ratings Cristhian Stuani – 5 out of 10 Failed to follow his man when marking defensively, which resulted in Boro loosing shape and looking unorganised. Middlesbrough 0 Manchester City 2 player ratings Claudio Bravo – 5 out of 10 Had very little to do today, with little threat going forward from Boro. Middlesbrough 0 Manchester City 2 player ratings Pablo Zabaleta – 7 out of 10 Defended well, but looked even better going forward. His assist to open the scoring was impeccable. Middlesbrough 0 Manchester City 2 player ratings John Stones – 6 out of 10 Read the game well from the back. Also made a crucial goal-line clearance in the latter stages of the game. Middlesbrough 0 Manchester City 2 player ratings Nicolas Otamendi – 6 out of 10 Boro lacked threat going forward, which helped him do his job with such ease at the back. Middlesbrough 0 Manchester City 2 player ratings Gael Clichy – 6 out of 10 Worked well with Sane on the left and supplied an outlet for the attacking players. Middlesbrough 0 Manchester City 2 player ratings Yaya Toure – 7 out of 10 The 33-year-old was in cruise control today. His vision, passing and ability to read the game allowed him to run the game from the middle. Middlesbrough 0 Manchester City 2 player ratings Raheem Sterling – 6 out of 10 The Boro defence were struggling with his speed and deliveries into the danger zone. Middlesbrough 0 Manchester City 2 player ratings Kevin De Bruyne – 7 out of 10 Was a key element to almost every City move. He was pumping balls into the feet of the wingers and this was opening up the Boro back four. Middlesbrough 0 Manchester City 2 player ratings David Silva – 7 out of 10 Another top display from the Spaniard. His goal opened the scoring, but arguably he should have had three or four goals today. Middlesbrough 0 Manchester City 2 player ratings Leroy Sane – 8 out of 10 His speed and skill caused endless issues today for Boro, especially Barragan. His assist sealed the second goal and it’s a shocked he’s not on the scoresheet himself. Middlesbrough 0 Manchester City 2 player ratings Sergio Aguero – 6 out of 10 Aside from his goal, it was a relatively quiet display from Aguero. However, scoring is his job and he did that today.

Toure eventually took matters into his own hands, apologising on behalf of Seluk to bring the dispute to an end.

Although the midfielder has since earned his manager’s faith, Toure’s future at the club remains unclear. Guardiola is still to make a decision over whether to hand the player a new deal in the summer - and insists he will wait until the end of the season before declaring his intentions.

“He has a big personality and this season, he is helping us playing top, top football,” said the City manager. “He will play football until he decides because he loves playing.

“He enjoys playing and loves playing games.

“The focus now needs to be on winning games and competitions.

“We will talk about it at the end of the season.