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I'd love team built around him' - who should Man City keep, or sell?

 


We know Kevin de Bruyne is leaving Manchester City in the summer, but who else might be going - and who should stay?

Their rebuild has already started, with £180m spent on four players in January, but a major overhaul of Pep Guardiola's side looks likely at the end of what has been a troubled campaign, with the future of several stars in doubt.

"It feels like there are going to be big changes right through the squad," former City goalkeeper Shay Given saying',

"City fans must have watched Sunday's Manchester derby and been thinking they have no idea what the future will look like - right now, no-one does.

"They spent a lot in January, and Omar Marmoush has been the stand-out signing from the players they brought in, but the others have struggled a bit.

"Nico Gonzalez and Abdukodir Khusanov are still adjusting to the pace of the Premier League, which shows why this rebuild won't be easy.

"In the past, any City signings under Guardiola have come into a team that was a winning machine, full of confidence and usually top of the league.

"It is a lot easier to join a side that is brimming with confidence and ripping teams apart every week, but Marmoush, Nico, Khusanov and Vitor Reis have joined a different City, with players who look nervous and the team struggling with and without the ball."

Is a midfield refresh needed?





All four of City's midfielders who started Sunday's derby are over 30

City's lack of physicality in midfield has been a key factor in their decline and it is the area of the team that could see the biggest overhaul.

A fit-again Rodri will surely return as the fulcrum of their side when he recovers from his long-term injury, but who will be alongside him is much less certain.

"De Bruyne says he is going, there are doubts over Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan's future and Jack Grealish has not really had a look in," Given explained.

"Bernardo and Gundogan have been such great players and won everything there is to win, but time catches up with everyone - like De Bruyne, they are both in their 30s now.

"It doesn't matter what they have done for City in the past, Guardiola will know he has to freshen things up."

Bayer Leverkusen's Germany international Florian Wirtz is high on City's list of targets, but Given feels they could have found the answer a lot closer to home.

"There are lots of players who City have let go recently, who they could really do with now," he said.

"Cole Palmer is an obvious one but I covered an Aston Villa game the other day and Morgan Rogers would bring all of the things that City need - pace, power and creativity.

"Imagine if he had only been loaned out in 2023, not sold, and there was the possibility of bringing him back in the summer? You would be thinking problem solved, the likes of Gundogan and De Bruyne can go.

"It's not going to be that simple, of course. City sold Rogers to Middlesbrough for about £1.5m but think how much he would cost them now?"

'I'd love to see the team built around Grealish'

Grealish scored City's first goal in Wednesday's 2-0 win over Leicester but was left out of the starting XI at Old Trafford. He replaced Ilkay Gundogan with 16 minutes to go

If there is an overhaul at the Etihad, then it will be with new faces, rather than tactics.

Guardiola is never going to move away from a possession-based playing style and Given feels the old guard can no longer implement an important part of his gameplan.

"A lot of teams City play in the Premier League seem to have more energy, or legs, in the team," Given said. "That's been an issue, because the way they press without the ball is so important to their playing style.

"A big part of their success down the years under Pep was when they won the ball back quickly, high up the pitch, within a few seconds of losing it.

"They would peg teams back and not let them out but now teams are getting through them.

"That needs to be rectified. It's something that will come with fresh legs from the people coming in, but that won't solve all the problems City have, because any new signings have to be the highest quality too.

"With De Bruyne leaving, I would love to see Guardiola build the team around Jack Grealish playing in a central role and dominating games, but it looks like the writing is on the wall for him to go as well.

"For whatever reason, it appears they are not getting on so it does not look good for Jack. He comes in, plays a game or two and then is back out again, no matter how well he does."

"I'm not just a fan of his, I am his ex-team-mate and friend. It's frustrating to see him being treated this way, because I know he has got so much more to offer the team. He just doesn't get the opportunities, and that is the manager's decision."

Does defence require a revamp too?

Stones was injured early in City's Champions League defeat by Real Madrid on 19 February and has not played since

City's defensive flaws have not been helped by a series of injuries to their senior centre-halves.

Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake have all missed chunks of the season - Akanji and Ake are currently sidelined after surgery - while John Stones has been restricted to just six league starts.

Khusanov and Reis, who have only recently turned 21 and 19 respectively, arrived as defensive reinforcements in January but Given would be wary of making sweeping changes at the back.

"None of the four established centre-halves are near their mid-30s yet," Given said. "Stones is the oldest, and he turns 31 in May, so I still feel they have all got plenty to offer. I'd be reluctant to let any of them go. With Stones, for example, they just have to get him fit.

"If the club considers them all to be injury prone, then that is a problem. But equally you can't just get rid of all that experience, because you need it in that position. A situation next season where Khusanov and Reis are at centre-half would be a bit worrying."

There is further uncertainty over the futures of Kyle Walker, on loan at AC Milan, and goalkeeper Ederson, who considered a move to Saudi Arabia last year before committing to another campaign at the Etihad.

"The club could get big money for Ederson to fund signings, but then they would have to replace him too," Given added.

"There are definitely other positions they should be looking at. Ederson is a brilliant goalkeeper, who is so vital to the way they play out from the back. I don't think there is another keeper in the world who is better with the ball at his feet.

"He is only 31, so he has plenty of years left at the very top level - I was 33 when I joined City, so I would certainly not be rushing him out of the door - they should try to keep hold of him if they can."

Ederson joined City from Benfica for £35m in 2017. He won the Premier League Golden Glove award for most clean sheets in a season for three years running between 2020 and 2022

'We are about to find out what Pep's masterplan is'

Whatever City's next step is, they will have a new voice shaping their transfer strategy. Txiki Begiristain is leaving in the summer with Hugo Viana replacing him as director of football.

"I played with Hugo at Newcastle and I am looking forward to meeting him again," Given said. "I am excited to see how he gets on at City but Txiki has left big boots to fill. For a long time City's transfers were brilliant, they hardly put a foot wrong.

"Fixing the squad is part of Hugo's job now but there is a lot of transition going on at the club and there is no guarantee any of it will be smooth.

"We are about to find out what Pep's masterplan is too and it will be fascinating to see how he does next season - he has only known amazing success with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City and this is the first time in his managerial career that things have not gone his way.

"Can he rebuild City, and come back and win the Premier League again? That is the big question right now, isn't it?"





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