Manchester City make announcement on pre-season training plans with date confirmed | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City first-team squad will return to training ahead of their pre-season schedule early next week, the club have confirmed.

This summer marks a slightly later return to action for City than in previous years, due to the club’s participation in the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States following the conclusion of the regular season in Europe.

Players were subsequently granted an extended break from duties, with several first-team regulars only just concluding their holidays. Preparations for the 2025/26 campaign now begin in earnest, with a tight turnaround before competitive action resumes in mid-August.

The upcoming season sees Manchester City enter somewhat of a transitional phase, both on and off the pitch. New signings including Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders, and Rayan Cherki will be integrated into Pep Guardiola’s system, while the return of key players from injury – notably Oscar Bobb and Rodri – adds further intrigue to the manager’s plans.

There also remains uncertainty over several senior figures, with the likes of James McAtee and Jack Grealish facing unresolved futures at this stage, while of that points to a pre-season packed with individual stories and broader tactical experimentation.

Crucially, City are keeping their summer schedule relatively lean. Unlike recent years featuring overseas tours and friendlies, the men’s squad will play just one public warm-up match allowing Guardiola and his staff to focus training time at the City Football Academy.

As confirmed by the club on Friday, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City Men’s first-team squad will return to training on Monday 28 July following an extended period of holiday in light of their FIFA Club World Cup participation earlier in the summer.

In addition to training at the City Football Academy, the club’s statement reminds fans of their Men’s and Women’s First Team open training session, scheduled to take place for ticket-holding supporters at the Joie Stadium on Tuesday 5 August.

Newly appointed Manchester City Women’s Head Coach Andrée Jeglertz will address the crowd, while Pep Guardiola is also expected to say a few words ahead of the new season and the sole pre-season friendly away to Palermo – one week before the Premier League opener against Wolves on Saturday 16 August.

The meeting on the Italian island of Sicily will see Manchester City’s fellow City Football Group club contest the inaugural Anglo Palermitan Trophy, with the game taking place at the Renzo Barbera Stadium on Saturday 9 August with kick-off at 20:00 (UK).

City’s quieter approach to the summer may also reflect how Pep Guardiola intends to use the early part of the campaign to assess fringe and youth players more closely. The likes of Nico O’Reilly, Vitor Reis, and Claudio Echeverri remain subject to assessment, potentially earning match minutes in Palermo.

There is also the looming decision over their respective futures, with the latter pairing expected to be subject to loan interest from the likes of La Liga’s Girona and Ligue 1’s Olympique Lyonnais.

The build-up to the Wolves clash on 16 August offers limited opportunity for wide-scale tactical overhauls, but it will provide fans with early signs of how Pep Guardiola’s next evolution of Manchester City might look.