Pep Guardiola faces awkward Man City decision as three key players could be dropped

Manchester City are set to find their injury issues easing after the international break but it could present Pep Guardiola a selection problem.

Squad size has been a recurring topic of debate inside Manchester City over recent months. After accepting he needed more players after an injury crisis derailed last season, Pep Guardiola cooled on the idea a little during the summer.

The argument last season was that a schedule that demanded more from players than ever before made Guardiola's usual desire for a squad light on numbers an unnecessary risk.

But then came the transfer window, and as the squad's size increased, Guardiola expressed concern at having to tell players they were being left out. That has always been his primary concern with having a group he considers to be too big.

In the end, City probably struck a happy medium, and it hasn't caused any issues so far, but with a clean bill of health for the squad potentially in sight, Guardiola might have some of those tough decisions to make sooner rather than later.

City currently have 21 first-team squad members fit and available for selection (including third-choice goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli and midfielder Kalvin Phillips), with four more unavailable.

That quartet are Abduokodir Khusanov, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rodri and Omar Marmoush, but all four could return after this international break. Khusanov, Ait-Nouri and Marmoush have been eyeing a return soon after the October break for a while and Rodri insisted the injury that forced him off against Brentford wouldn't sideline him for more than two weeks.

A fully-fit squad would give Guardiola 25 senior players, although that number can at least be trimmed to 23 by Bettinelli, who knows his status as third-choice goalkeeper, and Phillips, who might be relying on the Carabao Cup fourth round tie at Swansea for another game.

Even still, 23 players would then be competing for selection in a 20-man Premier League squad. It leaves three fall guys every weekend, and Guardiola would have to decide who they are.

Let's be honest, the days when every member of that squad is available for selection will be rare, but at the moment, it does at least seem to be a distinct possibility sometime this month, so who would miss out?

Ait-Nouri's return could put pressure on Nico O'Reilly, although the 20-year-old's form and versatility make him a likely squad member, allied to the fact he has made the senior England squad this week. If Khusanov is back fit as well, then Nathan Ake would surely drop out, given the defensive options in reserve.

In midfield it could be that Kovacic drops out. The Croatian is yet to play this season after achilles surgery in the summer. Rodri, Nico Gonzalez, Tijjani Reijnders, Bernardo Silva, Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden offer plenty of cover in that area in a matchday squad, while Rico Lewis and O'Reilly can also play there.

Finding room for Marmoush is probably a little more difficult. Guardiola will be reluctant to leave out Jeremy Doku or Savinho. Oscar Bobb was impressive in the win against Brentford, but could be the player to make way entirely.

Alternatively, Guardiola could cut one of his spare right-backs. If Khusanov returns to start in that role, City would have John Stones as cover, as well as Lewis and Matheus Nunes. If he wanted more attackers in the squad, one of Lewis or Nunes could make way.

There are certainly options there for Guardiola, but if it ever gets to the point where he needs to leave some senior players out of a matchday squad in the Premier League, those conversations won't be easy for him either.

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