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Twenty-three players were spotted as Enzo Maresca took his first Man City training sessions
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The group featured a mix of senior internationals, returning loanees & academy graduates
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WC participants set to return on a staggered basis, leaving a smaller squad for pre-season tour
Manchester City’s 2026-27 pre-season got underway at the City Football Academy this week, with a group of twenty-three players taking part in Enzo Maresca’s first training sessions as the club’s new manager begins the process of implementing his vision ahead of the new campaign.
The 46-year-old returned to the Etihad Stadium having formally been confirmed as manager after a protracted compensation saga with Chelsea, and wasted no time in getting to work, with the initial sessions providing him with his first in-person look at a group that includes both established senior figures and several of the most exciting prospects in the club’s renowned academy.
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Players competing at the FIFA World Cup in North America – a cohort that includes Rodri, Erling Haaland, Marc Guehi, Elliot Anderson, Jeremy Doku and others – are set to return on a staggered basis depending on their respective nations’ exit timing.
Those available have since begun their preparations, with City’s pre-season tour of Hong Kong and Seoul – featuring fixtures against Inter Milan, a K-League All Stars XI and Atletico Madrid – now approaching, and the Community Shield against Arsenal in South Wales marking the first competitive appointment of Maresca’s reign.
Report: 23 players spotted in Man City’s opening pre-season sessions
As reported by Simon Bajkowski of the Manchester Evening News, the following twenty-three players were present at the City Football Academy across the opening days of Manchester City’s pre-season preparations.
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Gianluigi Donnarumma – City’s number one goalkeeper arrives into his first pre-season at the club in exceptional form, having won the 2025 Yashin Trophy at the Ballon d’Or awards after a Champions League-winning campaign with PSG before joining City for around £26 million in September 2025. Italy’s absence from the 2026 World Cup means the 27-year-old has had the full summer to recover and prepare, handing Maresca his first-choice goalkeeper at full fitness from the very first day of pre-season.
Marcus Bettinelli – The experienced backup keeper joined City from Chelsea and provides trusted senior cover behind Donnarumma in a goalkeeping department that also has a succession of promising academy options emerging through the ranks. Not involved at international level, Bettinelli’s summer has been uninterrupted, and his steady professionalism provides Maresca with a reliable training-ground presence in what is a period of significant transition within the squad.
Oliver Whatmuff – The 18-year-old goalkeeper enjoyed a remarkable 2025-26 loan campaign at Rochdale, keeping 18 clean sheets in 39 appearances and producing a heroic two-save penalty shootout performance in the play-off final to help the club earn promotion to the Football League. He had been set to join Stockport County on loan in League One for 2026-27, but was recalled by City to participate in the pre-season programme and is expected to depart on loan once the Asian tour is complete.
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Jack Wint – The young goalkeeper forms part of City’s EDS goalkeeping contingent and provides depth in a position the club have invested considerable attention in at every level of the development structure. An England youth international at younger age groups, his presence in the pre-season squad reflects the depth of goalkeeping talent within the City Football Academy rather than any expectation of senior involvement this season.
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Rico Lewis – The versatile 21-year-old defender faces perhaps the most critical pre-season of his City career, with his future under Maresca yet to be established and reports earlier in the window suggesting he could push to leave if not promised regular minutes. Nottingham Forest and Everton are among those understood to have registered interest in the England international, whose ability to operate across the backline and into midfield made him one of the most distinctive players in Pep Guardiola’s system at his peak.
Brooklyn Nfonkeu – The midfielder was among the individual award winners at City’s Academy End of Season awards ceremony in May 2026, having impressed within the EDS and Under-18 structures across a 2025-26 campaign that underlined his growing impact within the City Football Academy’s development programme. His inclusion in the opening pre-season sessions gives him the opportunity to catch Maresca’s eye at the earliest possible stage.
Vitor Reis – The 20-year-old Brazilian returned to the Etihad Stadium this summer following a season on loan at Girona, having had the chance to develop his game in a competitive La Liga environment that saw him face opponents of the calibre of Vinicius Junior, Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe on a regular basis. Reis arrived back at City speaking with genuine excitement about the prospect of working under Maresca, and his eagerness to stake a claim for a first-team place this season makes him one of the more compelling figures in the early pre-season sessions.
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Abdukodir Khusanov – The 25-year-old centre-back enjoyed a breakthrough first full season at the Etihad Stadium in 2025-26, establishing himself as a reliable presence in the defensive unit and contributing to City’s domestic double with memorable performances across both the EFL Cup and FA Cup campaigns. Uzbekistan‘s early exit from the World Cup at the group stage means Khusanov is one of the few senior international defenders available to Maresca from the very first day of pre-season, giving him a head start in establishing himself within the manager’s thinking.
Max Alleyne – The young centre-back featured for the EDS before earning first-team recognition and was recalled by City mid-season after his loan spell at Watford was cut short by defensive injuries at senior level, demonstrating the increasing confidence the club have in his ability to contribute in moments of need. His development in 2026-27 under the new EDS structure will be closely watched as Maresca assesses the long-term defensive options within the City Football Group pipeline.
Stephen Mfuni – The 18-year-old left-sided defender impressed during a half-season loan at Watford after being recalled from the EDS, earning widespread praise for his composure, passing quality and physical authority before an ankle injury cut his season short and required surgery. The England youth international attracted interest from Derby County, Swansea City and Bournemouth ahead of the new season, with a Championship loan looking the most likely next step in his development once he is given the all-clear from the medical staff.
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Christian McFarlane – The midfielder was another recipient of an individual prize at the Academy’s End of Season awards in May, recognised for a 2025-26 campaign in which he demonstrated the qualities that have marked him out as one of the more consistent performers within the EDS environment. His involvement in the pre-season group gives him visibility ahead of a summer in which his next developmental step will be determined.
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Nico Gonzalez – The 24-year-old Spanish midfielder arrived at the Etihad Stadium from Porto in January 2025 as Rodri cover, making 11 Premier League appearances across the second half of the season but finding himself marginalised as the squad depth around him deepened. His future under Maresca is very much open to question, with intermediaries understood to have been exploring interest from clubs across Europe and beyond, and a pre-season appearance alongside the new manager represents an important audition for the Spaniard as he looks to establish his credentials within the Italian’s plans.
Floyd Samba – The 17-year-old midfielder was one of the standout performers of City’s successful 2025-26 Under-18 campaign, scoring 11 goals across the season before opening the scoring in the FA Youth Cup final against Manchester United at Wembley, adding to an unforgettable day that also saw his brother Tyrone on the scoresheet. An England youth international at Under-17 level, the involvement of both Samba brothers in the pre-season group is a testament to the extraordinary sibling story developing within the City Football Academy.
Claudio Echeverri – The 20-year-old Argentine endured a difficult first loan spell at Bayer Leverkusen, where he made only six league appearances before requesting an early return, before rediscovering his form in a second loan move to Girona, where he produced a standout display against Barcelona that reminded observers why City had invested in his signature. Echeverri returned to the Etihad Stadium for Maresca to assess and featured in a pre-season “shop window” game attended by scouts from multiple clubs, with his future – whether in Manchester or on another loan – set to be resolved as the summer progresses.
Phil Foden – The 26-year-old was controversially left out of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the World Cup after an inconsistent 2025-26 campaign, but finished the season in improved form, winning the FA Cup with City and recording seven goals and five assists across 34 Premier League appearances. The absence from international duty gives Foden a full pre-season at City’s disposal, and his ability to contribute from day one of Maresca’s reign – without the fatigue of a deep World Cup run – could prove a significant advantage as he looks to recapture the level that made him one of Europe’s most feared attacking midfielders at his peak.
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Tyrone Samba – The elder of the two Samba brothers, Tyrone was among the individual award winners at the Academy End of Season ceremony and received recognition for his contribution to a season in which the forward also scored in the FA Youth Cup final alongside sibling Floyd, making it one of the most remarkable individual days in recent City academy history. At 17, the forward is one of the more physically developed talents within the City youth system and his inclusion in Maresca’s opening pre-season sessions is a sign of the regard in which the coaching staff hold both brothers.
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Xavier Parker – The 16-year-old midfielder joined City from West Ham United‘s academy in 2024 and quickly established himself as one of the most highly coveted young players in European football, with nine clubs including Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea understood to have made approaches for a player who cannot officially sign his first professional contract until he turns 17 in May 2027. City broke their own financial benchmarks for a scholar to retain Parker, with reports suggesting a new contract agreement is close, and his inclusion in pre-season is both a development opportunity and a clear statement that the club regard him as central to their long-term plans.
Divine Mukasa – The 18-year-old attacking midfielder made his senior debut for City in the EFL Cup in September 2025, assisting Phil Foden’s opening goal in a 2-0 victory over Huddersfield, before joining Leicester City on loan in the Championship, where he scored twice and contributed a further assist in 15 appearances. Mukasa, who has represented England across multiple age groups, returned from his loan spell having gained the kind of exposure to senior Championship football that will inform his next developmental step, with Maresca now able to assess the youngster during the pre-season programme.
Ryan McAidoo – The explosive 18-year-old winger made his senior debut in City’s 10-1 FA Cup victory over Exeter City in January 2026 and was personally singled out by chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak as the most exciting emerging talent within the academy, having previously left Chelsea to pursue his development at the City Football Academy. McAidoo is under contract until 2030 and has attracted interest from clubs across Europe and the Premier League, but City remain determined to retain him and his inclusion in Maresca’s opening sessions gives the new manager an early opportunity to evaluate one of the most dynamic young talents within the club’s ranks.
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Jeremy Monga – The 17-year-old winger only officially became a Manchester City player on July 11, joining from Leicester City for £10 million in what represents one of the most significant academy captures of the summer window. Monga became the youngest ever goalscorer in the Championship last season – breaking a record previously held by Jude Bellingham – and is the third-youngest player to have appeared in the Premier League, making his arrival in the squad for City’s opening pre-season sessions an immediate opportunity for him to begin integrating into an environment he described as “the best club in England over the past 10 years.”
Savinho – The Brazilian winger completed 2025-26 with questions over his future at the Etihad Stadium still unresolved, with Tottenham Hotspur actively accelerating a move to sign him and naming him as their priority wide target this summer. Pre-season represents a final opportunity for the 22-year-old to demonstrate his value within Maresca’s system before a decision is made on his future, with the new manager’s assessment of the winger’s suitability to his preferred structure likely to be the defining factor in whether he remains at City or departs before the window closes.
Divin Mubama – The 21-year-old striker had an encouraging loan campaign in the Championship in 2025-26, scoring five goals and contributing one assist in just over 1,600 minutes of football, demonstrating the physical presence and finishing instinct that have marked him as a genuinely promising option within the City development pyramid. A previous CFA scholar who has been with the club’s system for several years, Mubama’s pre-season involvement gives Maresca and his coaching staff a chance to assess whether the striker merits integration into the senior setup or would benefit from another loan campaign at Championship level.
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Mahamadou Sangare – The 19-year-old France youth international forward joined City from PSG in the summer of 2025 on a five-year contract and was immediately prolific in the EDS, scoring 15 goals and adding three assists in 30 youth appearances, including seven goals in 16 Premier League 2 outings. Despite his extraordinary productivity, Sangare is expected to leave on loan this summer, with Ligue 1 and Bundesliga identified as the most likely destinations, and his inclusion in pre-season reflects City’s approach of giving all contracted players the chance to make an impression before exit decisions are finalised.
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What does the opening squad tell us about Man City’s pre-season approach?
The breadth of the group assembled by Maresca for his opening sessions is revealing – covering the full spectrum from established first-team internationals to scholarship-age prospects – and it reflects both the logistical reality of a World Cup summer and the genuine curiosity Maresca has expressed publicly about every member of the squad he has inherited.
With so many of City’s senior internationals still in North America, the early sessions offer the players present a rare extended window of direct access to the new manager, with those fringe members of the squad in particular holding an opportunity to make a first impression that could prove decisive in shaping how Maresca views them when the full group eventually assembles at the Etihad Stadium.
Director of football Hugo Viana has been working in tandem with Maresca throughout the summer to assemble the squad the Italian wants, and the range of players now present on the training ground – from the world-class Donnarumma to the electrifying teenage Monga – underlines the ambition and range of the project being assembled for the season ahead at the Etihad Stadium.
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