With exactly one week to go until Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City squad take to the field to secure match fitness, first-team stars and a whole host of academy prospects have returned to training this week.
The Premier League champions are due to take on Championship outfit Preston North End at the Academy Stadium next week, in the first of two pre-season matches, before they travel to France to face City Football Group’s ES Troyes AC.
With many of the first-team squad still on holiday following their involvement in Copa America and the European Championships, the pre-season squad will be largely made up of academy names – here is a full list of everyone spotted so far!
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Pep Guardiola has obviously returned to the City Football Academy this week, as he gears up for his sixth season at the Etihad Stadium, and will be looking to retain his Premier League crown for the second-time.
On the coaching front, there was also a new face in training, with Carlos Vicens joining the first-team set-up for the first time since his promotion from the academy system, alongside the familiar face of Juanma Lillo.
(Photo via Manchester City)
Moving on to the first-team stars that have returned for duty, Benjamin Mendy will be looking to revive his career at the club, while he is joined by fellow defenders Philippe Sandler and goalkeeper Scott Carson.
Riyad Mahrez and Fernandinho have both also reported for duty, and are arguably the two biggest names to return for pre-season training and will go a long way in aiding the development and experiences of the younger contingent.
A quartet of young talents have also been captured in training, with former Juventus prospect Pablo Moreno joined by Brazilian duo Yan Couto – who spent last season on loan at Girona – and new signing, Diego Rosa. Local prospect Shea Charles also joined the proceedings, and has been with the club since the age of eight.
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There is an understanding that Zack Steffen could have already returned for first-team training, although the USA international was not captured in official club photographers or social media footage.
As exclusively revealed by City Xtra, Manchester City’s Brazilian pairing of Ederson and Gabriel Jesus will not return to training until August 8th, and so there is an expectation that they will miss the Community Shield clash with Leicester.
Full list of players spotted: Scott Carson, Yan Couto, Philippe Sandler, Benjamin Mendy, Fernandinho, Diego Rosa, Riyad Mahrez, Pablo Moreno.
You can follow us for live updates here: @City_Xtra
