Manchester City fans will not have to wait long for the squad to start being put through their paces again before the US tour
Manchester City players will start returning to the Etihad Campus for the new season in two weeks.
City’s last campaign ended on May 25 with defeat in the FA Cup Final, although most of their squad have been busy playing for their national team; there have been 14 at the European Championship as well as Julian Alvarez at the Copa America. With players expected to have a minimum of three weeks to rest between campaigns, it is unlikely anyone involved in the summer tournaments will be reporting early for duty.
However, Erling Haaland and Jack Grealish will be among those heading to the City Football Academy from July 15 to meet up with Pep Guardiola ahead of flying to the United States for the pre-season tour on July 19. Grealish has already been at the training ground as he looks to ensure he is in top condition to make himself a key player for the Blues for the start of their Premier League title defence.
City’s touring squad will also be supplemented by youngsters from the academy team with Guardiola being unable to call on most of his senior stars. Rico Lewis and Oscar Bobb have both taken their chances in the last two years to work their way into the first team group on a permanent basis.
The Blues will play four matches in four different states as they warm up for the 2024/25 campaign, taking on Celtic in North Carolina, AC Milan in New York, Barcelona in Florida and then Chelsea in Ohio. They return to the UK to play United in the Community Shield before heading to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea in their Premier League opener.