Man City ready to add to Pep Guardiola squad before January transfer window

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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola can look at new options for his squad in the coming weeks with an unrelenting calendar

Pep Guardiola has not wanted to tinker with his Manchester City team and squad in recent weeks. There have barely been any changes in the group that have been starting the last few matches as well as supporting with the manager putting his trust in the same players.

That will have to change this week though, not least because Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri have left to link up with the national teams for African Cup of Nations duty that could take up the next six weeks of the season. Replacements will have to be found if Guardiola does not want to have empty spots on his bench.

Divine Mukasa has already come into the squad, filling in for the injured Jeremy Doku at Crystal Palace. Mukasa is less and less of a stranger to the first team anyway, training with them for most of the season as well as making his first appearances for the senior side in the Carabao Cup.

If Doku is unavailable again, that leaves at least another two places that will need filling to cover for the AFCON exits. Reigan Heskey has been back training with Guardiola's side recently and scored an excellent solo goal as the Under-19s thumped Real Madrid 4-0 last week in the UEFA Youth League; he looks like the most obvious replacement for Marmoush.

As for Ait-Nouri, Kaden Braithwaite made his senior debut last season - becoming one of the youngest in the club's history when he started in the Carabao Cup - and has been working hard as Under-18s captain. Another defender held in high regard from the academy is Stephen Mfuni, who is also comfortable at left-back and centre-back to offer Guardiola that versatility.

Nico O'Reilly will be hoping for a rest after starting nine of the last ten matches and Nico Gonzalez was one better; the defeat to Villa was the last time he did not start after he was kicked out of the Villarreal game days earlier.

It would be a big ask to start a debutant in the holding role against Brentford, but young midfielder Harrison Miles trained with the first team before Real and will be hoping he can play some part in the cup fixture.

If Brentford offers the biggest chance for expanding the squad, until more senior stars start to return from injury there will be opportunities for several academy players to train with the first team and get minutes in games if they make enough of an impression. Guardiola may well he has more players in his squad that he can rely on before the January transfer window even opens.