1 day ago
34
Manchester City need to trim their squad but have welcomed everybody back into training as they prepare for the new season
Manchester City returned to training on Monday and the first winning team was quite something.
Included in the six-man side was summer signing Rayan Cherki, the playmaker signed from Lyon that has fans excited. Then there was Vitor Reis, a young centre-back signed in January who was earmarked for a loan but could yet remain at the Etihad this season.
There was James McAtee, who should be guaranteed to leave but City are holding out for a high asking price well above the £25m offers that have already been floated. Oscar Bobb is determined to stay after seeing injury rob him of the chance to shine last year, although his minutes will be further challenged by Cherki.
In the middle was Manu Akanji, the centre-back signed in 2022 who has seen his reputation fall over the last year with some supporters wanting to see the likes of Reis given a run instead. Below Akanji was Ilkay Gundogan, the veteran of the squad who refused to fall down last year despite the flak he got and has so far insisted he is going nowhere despite lots of speculation over his exit and the club refusing to confirm he will stay.
Of the six in the picture, only one is guaranteed to be part of Pep Guardiola's plans for the coming season. Yet the rest must be pretty good, or they would not have beaten teammates whose futures are more secure than theirs.
Being involved in training with Guardiola helps those players to feel valued, and it shows to the rest of the squad that being out of favour or targeted for a sale by the club does not mean they stop being treated with the respect their ability and professionalism deserves. Business decisions have to be made but these players are all human beings.
This isn't to sneer over the road at United and their 'bomb squad' of players who have been told they are not wanted and cannot train with the first team any more, because each club has a different environment. Look at what City have though and it is not hard to see why they keep their stars happy for so long.
Erling Haaland was allowed to be publicly upset about Jack Grealish not being with him at the Club World Cup and Grealish was allowed to post all of his holiday runs because there is a mutual respect between club and players. Should Grealish or anybody else end up staying with the club for the season, it will be a whole lot easier to do if they haven't been isolated all summer.
It may not help anyone to get into Guardiola's team for the opening day at Wolves in three weeks, but every time someone impresses in training it reinforces their value for City and any interested clubs to take note of.
---
Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester City coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.
And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Talking City podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.
English (US) ·