Manchester City’s four-player leadership group revealed after Kevin De Bruyne exit | OneFootball

Manchester City’s new four-player leadership group has been revealed with Kevin De Bruyne officially completing a two-year move to Napoli, as per a new report.

City saw former club captain Kyle Walker join AC Milan on loan in January after a horror spell of form that saw the 35-year-old drop down Pep Guardiola’s pecking order and seek exile in Italy for the second half of the recent season.

Walker is not part of Guardiola’s plans heading into the new season and has not travelled with the Manchester City squad for the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States as he looks to find a new club with 12 months left on his contract.

De Bruyne proved to be the first major departure this summer and Scott Carson has also been released as he approached the end of his deal at the Etihad Stadium. Walker is highly likely to be the next one out.

Rodri, another member of Manchester City’s leadership group, spent nearly the entirety of last season on the sidelines after suffering an ACL injury in a 2-2 draw with Arsenal in the Premier League in September 2024, marking his long-awaited return to action on Kevin De Bruyne’s final home appearance in a City shirt last month.

Bernardo Silva has also been the subject of speculation in recent months as he also enters the final year of his contract but there is a belief that the 30-year-old will remain a Manchester City player next season, which could either see the club offer him a renewal to avoid the risk of losing him for free next summer.

Ruben Dias remained an ever-present in Manchester City’s backline in what was a turbulent, topsy-turvy season – with the exception of a brief injury period – and remains one of the favourites to pick up the armband from Walker next season.

Dias shared the captaincy with De Bruyne after Walker moved to Milan in January and has been a leader by voice and example since he arrived from Benfica in 2020. The centre-half is in his prime and will remain a focal point of Guardiola’s side in the years to come.

As reported by FPL Maine Road on social media platform X, Manchester City’s leadership group for the 2025-26 campaign will comprise of Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Ruben Dias and Erling Haaland – in no particular order.

Haaland penned a sensational 10-year deal at the Etihad Stadium last fall, committing his future to the eight-time Premier League champions till the end of the 2033-34 campaign after an incredible few seasons to launch his career in England.

It remains to be seen who will pick up the armband, however. Silva is the longest-serving Manchester City player in the aforementioned quartet whilst Rodri etched his name in the history books by becoming the club’s first-ever player to win the Ballon d’Or in 2024.

Haaland represents the present and future of the club in the years to come and Dias is the voice of the dressing room. Guardiola is unlikely to have a vote in the captaincy decision and will leave it to the squad to vote and make their pick.