After a successful pre-season tour of the United States, Manchester City is now back in Manchester to continue its preparations for the 24/25 season. This weekend they will take on arch-rivals Manchester United in the FA Community Shield. The champions are set to welcome back a host of key players to training this week. That is welcome news for Pep Guardiola ahead of Saturday’s match.
Simon Bajkowski has reported for Manchester Evening News that a host of City’s key players returned to the club last Friday for fitness testing. Bajkowski reports that Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva and Matheus Nunes returned to the City Football Academy last Friday for testing ahead of starting their pre-season. Furthermore, Bajkowski adds that Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji were at the club yesterday for their tests.
The return of a host of key players to training is welcome news for Manchester City. City toured the United States with a predominantly younger squad which gave the champions a glimpse of their future. James McAtee and Nico O’Reilly impressed and look set for roles with the City first-team during the 24/25 season.
Another player to watch for at training this week is new signing Savinho. The Brazilian international will finally link up with his new teammates ahead of this weekend’s clash with Manchester United. If the Brazilian can impress he should be in line to make his City debut on Saturday at Wembley.
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The only Manchester City players who aren’t scheduled to return to training this week are Rodri, Phil Foden, Kyle Walker, John Stones and Julian Alvarez. They are all enjoying extra time off after their hectic summers. In the case of Julian Alvarez, he may not return to Manchester City at all as a move to Atletico Madrid looms for the World Cup winner.
The return of a host of key players to training this week is a boost for Pep Guardiola and his team. It allows the champions to step up their preparations for the FA Community Shield this weekend. City’s returning stars will also have the opportunity to build their fitness ahead of City’s opening Premier League fixture against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Manchester City will be hoping to hit the ground running as they seek to claim a fifth consecutive Premier League title next season.
