Nasri: Pep implemented sex ban after midnight at City

There was a wave of change on and off the pitch when Pep Guardiola arrived at Manchester City.

While his impact on the pitch has been documented in the months since he arrived, on-loan midfielder Samir Nasri revealed that the Spanish manager lived by an unorthodox rule that even Lionel Messi followed during their days at Barcelona: No sex after midnight.

"(Sexual) relations must be before midnight. Even if you have a free day the following day," Nasri said in an interview with L'Equipe du Soir, as translated by The Telegraph's Callum Davis.

"He told us this is how he managed to get the best out of Messi and (Robert) Lewandowski, and for them to avoid the maximum number of muscular injuries. It's so you can get a good night's sleep."

It was one of many philosophies Guardiola introduced as he looked to shake up the club upon arriving from Bayern Munich.

Another was implementing a strict diet among players he deemed overweight. Nasri was one of the City casualties who was shipped off after he returned to preseason training overweight.

The French midfielder - who battled a serious knee injury throughout the majority of last season - went on a weight-loss program, but was eventually loaned out to Spanish side Sevilla for the season.

"Guardiola told me that I was a mess, he told me several times and even kicked me in the butt, literally," he said.

"When I returned from holiday having had a year out with injury problems and personal life problems, I was a little out of shape."

Since ditching the sky-blue top, and a few pounds, Nasri has revived his career in La Liga. Before suffering a hamstring knock earlier this month, Nasri scored three goals during 10 league appearances to help the club soar up the table in the opening months of the season.