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Manchester City will get their pre-season underway with a home game against Preston North End on Tuesday night. Not many senior players have joined the training yet and it seems Pep Guardiola will have to do with youth team players for the game.
Manchester City have not been very active in the transfer market and Scott Carson is the only senior player signed so far. The reigning Premier League champions have a strong squad but, for the pre-season, they will have to rely on the services of B team players.
Manchester City might not have a traditional academy but have been able to attract talent from all across the world recently. With the 2021-22 campaign all set to kick-off next month, here we take a look at the five Manchester City players to watch during the pre-season.
#5 Benjamin Mendy
Benjamin Mendy is one of the many Manchester City players who has not been able to do justice to the hefty price tag (£52m). While injuries have played their part in keeping the French left-back from unleashing his full potential, he has also struggled with form.
His form and performance improved in the final stages of last campaign and it is now up to him to try and replicate the form to impress the coaching staff. Pre-season will be crucial for him as once the season gets underway, he won't get a chance to prove his worth as a viable option down the left-flank.
Mendy joined Manchester City from AS Monaco in the summer of 2017 for a record fee (back then) of £52m on a five-year contract. In the four seasons since, he has only played 101 games, averaging 25 games per season (including substitute appearances).
#4 Tommy Doyle
One of the most highly-rated players in Manchester City's B team at the moment is the captain of their second team Tommy Doyle. The Englishman is said to be one of two or three academy players that Guardiola plans to include in the senior team for the 2021-22 campaign.
He has made senior appearances for the first team in the FA Cup, the Champions League and the Premier League as well. He has been a part of the national side's setup at every age level (barring the national team itself).
The 19-year-old is a technically gifted midfielder who can play as a holding midfielder or in a box-to-box role. He also has good distribution skills and scored four goals and picked up 11 assists in the title-winning run of the B side in Premier League 2.
With Fernandinho set to leave the club soon, it might be the perfect time to introduce Doyle and teach him the nuances of the first team. Should Doyle manage to grab his chance, he could play as backup to Rodri for the next few seasons, depending on his progress.
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#3 Philippe Sandler
Philippe Sandler made his debut for Manchester City in 2019 in an FA Cup fixture but is yet to feature in the Premier League for the Cityzens. An injury last season further delayed his inclusion in the first team but the Dutch defender is now back to full fitness and has been training for pre-season fixtures.
The defense is one area where Manchester City do not have any academy players at the moment. Hence, Sandler's good physique and ball-playing skills could make him a great addition to the first team in the 2021-22 campaign.
However, City's backline is filled with expensive, world-class superstars and Sandler will have to impress Guardiola quite a lot to earn a place in the City squad.
#2 Cole Palmer
One of the players from Manchester City's B team who is looking to emulate Phil Foden's rise to the top this season is Cole Palmer. The attacking midfielder is a Manchester City player through and through. He has been with the club since he was nine years old.
The player has impressed one and all with his attacking skills and versatility in the final third. Like Foden, he likes running with the ball into the box and has a penchant for finding the back of the net.
He scored 13 goals and bagged 7 assists in Premier League 2 last season. He recently signed a five-year contract with the club, a sign that the academy product is going nowhere anytime soon and is part of Guardiola's plans for the future.
City will also want to make sure they keep the young player happy and not let a repeat of the Jadon Sancho situation happen wth any other academy player.
#1 Liam Delap
Liam Delap had a great campaign in Premier League 2 last season and was a key part of the Manchester City B team's triumph in the tournament. He scored 24 goals in 20 games and those figures are extraordinary for an 18-year-old.
The son of Stoke City midfielder Rory Delap, Liam will also have a shot at claiming a spot in the first team. Sergio Aguero has left the club, leaving Gabriel Jesus as the only recognized number at the club.
Should young Delap perform well, he might be able to fill in the role of a backup striker. Delap made his senior debut in the Premier League and EFL Cup last season, scoring in the latter just 18 minutes into his debut.
His eye for goal makes him a great prospect and a lot of clubs seem interested in signing him on a season-long loan. His future currently depends on whether Manchester City sign a replacement for Aguero in the coming days. If big signings like Harry Kane, who has been linked with the club recently, arrives before the 2021-22 campaign, Delap just have to leave on loan.
Nonetheless, he is set to feature in almost all of City's pre-season fixtures.
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