- Man City players involved beyond the Euros quarter-finals will get extra time off
- Pep Guardiola will take a depleted squad full of youngsters on tour to the USA
- LISTEN to It’s All Kicking Off! EUROS DAILY: Will Gareth Southgate stick around for the World Cup?
Manchester City‘s Euros stars will return ahead of the new season just days before the Community Shield as Pep Guardiola affords his players an extended break after a gruelling year.
Guardiola is an advocate of granting players longer summer breaks in tournament years and is not expecting anyone involved beyond this month’s quarter-finals to join up with the depleted squad on their tour of the United States.
Talisman Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias, Jeremy Doku, Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji all have a month off, reporting back during the week of the Community Shield against Manchester United on August 10.
Guardiola will discuss the scheduling for the four involved in Sunday’s final – Phil Foden, John Stones, Kyle Walker and Rodri, plus Copa America winner Julian Alvarez – with club staff over the coming days.
The Catalan is not averse to tailored player-specific programmes that give those who need it additional time to recuperate, while City are also due to ascertain the extent of Rodri’s hamstring injury picked up in Berlin on Sunday.
Defenders John Stones (left) and Kyle Walker (right) will be given extra time off by Manchester City this summer following their roles in helping England reach the final of Euro 2024
England’s Phil Foden (left) and Dutch defender Nathan Ake (right) will also get extra time off
Spain midfielder Rodri won the Player of the Tournament award but he was injured in the final
Guardiola has previously given extended respite past the season’s curtain raiser to the likes of De Bruyne and former winger Raheem Sterling – believing rushing stars back is counterproductive to the campaign as a whole.
City, who were the final club to be back in training on Monday, are generally slow starters in the Premier League before cranking up pressure on their rivals around Christmas, which is often put down to the relaxed attitude towards pre-season.
Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland head the list of those going to the States, which is likely to include Kalvin Phillips and the Croatian pair of Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic.
Guardiola’s side face Celtic, AC Milan, Barcelona and Chelsea in friendlies before flying back home and the travelling party will be largely made up of youngsters.
