Man City's World Cup players to return early in bid to aid Premier League title defence

Sport360 staff 13:30 28/07/2018
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  • Manchester City are looking to repeat as Premier League champions.
    Manchester City‘s World Cup players are reportedly returning to training early to help the club’s bid to defend their Premier League crown.
    Pep Guardiola’s side had 16 players at the tournament, with all players given three weeks off from the time their respective teams’ stay in Russia ended.
    With Belgium and England reaching the semi-finals, Kevin de Bruyne, Vincent Kompany, John Stones, Kyle Walker, Fabian Delph, and Raheem Sterling are among those who not due back until next weekend.
    However, Guardiola said on Friday that only two players in his squad will be unavailable for City’s season opener, the Community Shield clash against Chelsea on August 5.
    “Most of them are coming back,” the Spaniard said ahead of his side’s final match in their preseason tour to the US, against Bayern Munich on Saturday night (Sunday morning, 03:05am UAE time).
    “We have just four or five days to prepare for the first final (Community Shield) so we have to adapt.
    “Some of them are coming back before, some are coming back after the final.
    “We need players for the final but if they are not coming back we’ll play with the guys who are here.
    “It is not an ideal situation, we prefer to be together but it is the same for Niko Kovac (Bayern manager) or for the other managers – the calendar is the calendar so we have to adapt.”
    City have fielded an under-strength squad on their US tour.

    City have fielded an under-strength squad on their US tour.

    Guardiola also added that he is not looking to make any major signings to improve his squad, despite the arrival of Riyad Mahrez on a club-record fee being his only summer business this window.
    “If we do, we sign one more but in this moment we stay with what we’ve got,” Guardiola said.
    “It’s so expensive and we spent a lot last year because we had an old squad. Maybe one (will come in), maybe not.”
    City’s fixture will be a reunion of sorts for Guardiola, who spent three seasons in Munich. Despite failing to deliver Bayern’s ultimate goal of winning the Champions League, he said his spell at the club was like a “dream”.
    “I have a better perspective now that I am looking back at my time there and it’s always positive,” he said.
    “In three years there are good and bad moments. The dream is to win the Champions League. We were close. I still have friends and an apartment there.
    “I will never have a bad word to say about Bayern.
    “It was a dream, an important part of my life and I have no regrets about what happened there.”

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