New midfield, goalkeeper dilemma - Man City's strongest starting XI decided

With the start of the Premier League season approaching, what is Manchester City's strongest starting XI if all players are fit and available?

Guardiola and Rodri

Manchester City want their title back, but it's not going to be easy.

City are in the midst of a rebuild as Pep Guardiola looks to bring down the average age of his squad. Heavy spends in the winter and summer transfer window have added a freshness to the City squad, but there's still work to be done.

Liverpool and Arsenal have gone big this summer and so next season's title race promises to be one of the most fascinating in years. But what will City's strongest XI look like when all players are fit and available?

James Trafford has arrived to compete for the No.1 spot with Ederson but the latter is likely to start the season as first choice. City could sign a right-back before the end of the window but Rico Lewis is their best option right now, with new signing Rayan Ait-Nouri slotting in on the opposite flank. Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol is the best centre-back pairing at the club.

Tijjani Reijnders and Rodri should start in midfield, but further forward it gets a little more complicated.

Guardiola has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal when it comes to attacking players, but Rayan Cherki has done in enough in his early weeks at the club to suggest he deserves to start. Jeremy Doku has struggled at times since his move to City but he's looked very bright this summer. With Kevin De Bruyne gone, now would be the perfect time for Phil Foden to return to is best.

Erling Haaland is the obvious pick up front. With a wealth of options to turn to on the bench, including Omar Marmoush, Savinho, Bernardo Silva and more, Guardiola will fancy his chances of bringing the Premier League title back to the Etihad.

Strongest starting XI: Ederson, Lewis, Dias, Gvardiol, Ait-Nouri, Rodri, Reijnders, Cherki, Foden, Doku, Haaland

---

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.