Three young defenders tipped for call-ups to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City squad for USA pre-season tour

Pep Guardiola could welcome three new names into his first-team squad roster for Manchester City’s upcoming pre-season tour of the United States’ east coast.

The Premier League champions are due to head Stateside later this week after concluding their initial round of medical testing and training ground duties at the City Football Academy following their respective pre-season breaks.

The return to the club’s training base included a number of first-team names, including the likes of Erling Haaland and Jack Grealish, whilst the large majority of the star-studded squad will likely return to duties late or miss the pre-season tour entirely this summer.

Joining Ederson, Stefan Ortega, Rico Lewis, and Oscar Bobb amongst others upon their arrival in the United States this week will be Croatian duo Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic, following their group stage exit from the European Championships.

But given the limited first-team options at the disposal of Pep Guardiola in the States, a new report has detailed a number of fresh faces that could be selected for duty to make up for the limited options, but also hand them a chance to impress.

As per the information of the Manchester Evening News’ Joe Bray, Callum Doyle is in line for a call-up to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City squad for their USA-based pre-season friendlies, largely stemming from the lack of centre-back options available.

It is explained that upon City’s return to the UK ahead of the FA Community Shield against Manchester United next month, Doyle could then depart on loan to Norwich City without any obligation for the Canaries to purchase.

Elsewhere, and while Josko Gvardiol is the only senior centre-back expected to feature on the tour, City’s Under-18 FA Youth Cup-winning captain Jahmai Simpson-Pusey could travel as centre-back cover, while Josh Wilson-Esbrand could also be included.

Manchester City’s 2024 pre-season tour squad to embark on their four friendly fixtures Stateside will be confirmed on Friday, with final decisions on personnel not expected until shortly before the club depart Manchester Airport for North Carolina.

Pep Guardiola and his players will open their account for their 2024 pre-season tour in the United States with a clash against Scottish Premier League champions Celtic on 23 July at Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill.

New York’s iconic Yankee Stadium will then go on to play host to Manchester City as they face AC Milan on 27 July, while the penultimate clash will see the club travel to Florida and the Camping World Stadium, Orlando on 30 July for a meeting with FC Barcelona.

The historic Ohio Stadium, with a capacity of over 100,000, will then complete Manchester City’s match preparations in the United States as they take on Enzo Maresca’s rebuilt Chelsea side on Saturday 3 August.