Manchester City's medical staff have spoken to the first-team squad about the dangers of smokeless tobacco as a stimulant, manager Pep Guardiola confirmed on Friday. 

A report by The Daily Mail claimed the use of 'snus' tobacco pouches placed between the gum and upper lip is increasingly widespread across English football owing to the nicotine hit it provides

Snus is not illegal to possess or consume but has been banned from sale in the United Kingdom since 1992 amid cancer fears.

Guardiola conceded he had been largely in the dark over the matter, but revealed his squad had been briefed.

"The doctor spoke about that with the players this morning. I don’t know the benefits, the pleasure of that," he said ahead of Saturday's Premier League trip to Everton.

"I only knew this morning when the doctor came in my office and explained [that they would talk to the players].

"They spoke with the players, I don't know further explanations. I was preparing the training session. Maybe over lunch I will ask them."

Leicester City and England striker Jamie Vardy was photographed with a tin of snus during Euro 2016 and admitted to using the product in his autobiography.

"When I joined Leicester I started using snus, which are nicotine patches that you place against your gums for 10 minutes or so," Vardy wrote.

"I used to have the odd fag on a night out at Fleetwood, but one of the lads introduced me to snus when I signed for Leicester and I found they helped me chill out.

"A lot more footballers use them than people realise, and some lads even play with them during matches."