Pep Guardiola has 11 untouchables for Man City squad this season

Pep Guardiola has 11 untouchables for Man City squad this season

Manchester City are working out how to cut their squad this summer and there are plenty of places up for grabs in Pep Guardiola's squad

Bernardo Silva and Pep Guardiola

Manchester City's squad is too big. It is too large for Pep Guardiola to be happy as he looks to avoid leaving players at home on a matchday and it needs trimming for the purposes of squad regulations - particularly in the Champions League.

Cases could be made for who to leave, although many of those who could be considered most at risk in the squad have all made public pledges to stay. John Stones, Ilkay Gundogan, Oscar Bobb and Ederson are among those to have said they want to continue at the Etihad.

‌

In working out what the squad should look like, it is probably worth starting on those that are the least at risk and going from there - starting with the four summer signings so far. There is no way that the squad for this season does not include Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Marcus Bettinelli.

‌

You can add Omar Marmoush to that, although he is probably the only arrival from the winter window that falls into that bracket. One of Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis will surely stay to beef out the centre-back options and the chances of Nico Gonzalez leaving isn't high either but there is at least an element of unknown and it would be a real headache if Claudio Echeverri wasn't sent on loan.

Bernardo Silva can also be considered untouchable given he is the new club captain. He may not play every match - fans certainly hope he won't - but there is no chance he goes after Guardiola directly intervened to make him the new leader of the group.

Fellow captain Ruben Dias is the seventh untouchable and centre-back partner Josko Gvardiol is number eight. Those two should be the first-choice pairing at the back after their impressive start at the end of last season to help stabilise the side.

Article continues below

Rodri is not going anywhere, and City will hope he is a regular starter as he continues his recovery from that serious injury he suffered last September. Despite his struggles last year, Phil Foden is also a lock and Guardiola will have been pleased with the smile on the Stockport boy's face at the Club World Cup as well as his three goals there.

City's No.9 is the 11th must-have, with Erling Haaland going nowhere after committing his future to the club until 2034. Beyond that, there are plenty of places up for grabs that are yet to be confirmed.

Manu Akanji, Nathan Ake and Stones will all hope they have done enough to stay ahead of newer arrivals Khusanov and Reis, while Rico Lewis and Matheus Nunes are both fighting for their places. Nico O'Reilly will surely stay unless a remarkable opportunity comes up and the same probably goes for Jeremy Doku and Savinho; they all have youth on their side as they look to make good on their potential.

‌

Mateo Kovacic feels more likely to stay than go after the injury he had that has put him out for most of the summer, although it would be a bold move to keep even three of the four older players that were targeted last season never mind four.

Kevin de Bruyne - special edition ON SALE NOW Kevin de Bruyne is one of - if not the - greatest players to play for Manchester City. He leaves the club having won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, five League Cups and a memorable Champions League victory! To mark his amazing time at the Etihad Stadium, this special edition has been produced - KDB The King - to celebrate Kev's career with the Blues. We look back at his 10 best games in Blue, celebrate his title wins and hear from the City boss and a host of team-mates and football elite who give their views on what makes him so special. CLICK HERE TO BUY

---

‌

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.

Article continues below

Click here to read article