De Bruyne isn’t getting any younger, Silva and Mahrez could be off – and Gundogan isn’t sure what the future holds… so how can Pep refresh Man City once again?
- Guardiola reportedly has just two years left to win a record-breaking quadruple
- But City have a number of players whose futures are cast in doubt this summer
- Pep’s knack for refreshing his squad has meant he is always one step ahead
What people would give to see what Pep Guardiola has up his sleeve next for Manchester City. The double? Done. Twice. The treble? A stroll in the park, sweeping aside Europe’s greatest teams with an easy flick. A quadruple? Well, let’s find out shall we?
By adding their name to an exclusive list of treble winners Pep’s Manchester City team put their own stamp on history when they beat Inter Milan in a gritty final at the Ataturk Stadium on Saturday 10, June 2023.
But with only two years left until an almost certain departure, according to The Guardian, Pep will want to make a formidable exit by becoming the only manager to have won an English quadruple, pipping even Sir Alex Ferguson to this unprecedented feat. If it hadn’t have been for a determined Southampton side in the League Cup then 2023 would surely have been the year.
There appears to be a slight caveat to this, however, and that is the inevitable passing of time. When Kevin De Bruyne was forced off the pitch in the first half against Inter, fears rang around Manchester that the Belgian mastermind’s downfall would be the end of their treble hopes. De Bruyne, who turns 32 this month, is quite simply getting older.
Pep Guardiola wants to continue winning, and the quadruple is next in his sights at Man City
Kevin De Bruyne (centre) tore his hamstring as he suffered more disappointment in a Champions League final
Kyle Walker has got his hands on the one major trophy that had eluded him in club football
There will be a Manchester City without Kevin De Bruyne, but the widespread concern regarding his hamstring tear on Saturday shows just how pivotal he is to this team’s success. With more assists than any other Premier League player, he has become a first-team mainstay since joining the Citizens for £55million in 2015.
De Bruyne is not the exception, either. Kyle Walker, despite his ferocious speed, turned 33 in May. Even youthful John Stones, whose rejuvenation is testament to Guardiola’s ingenuity, will turn 30 next year.
And then there is the question of departures. While Pep has made it clear that he wants to push on and continue City’s unrelenting success, whether or not this is possible without captain and FA Cup hero Ilkay Gundogan remains uncertain.
The German’s two goals against their rivals across the way, the fastest in FA Cup history, were instrumental in securing the second of their three trophies. With his contract set to expire at the end of June, Gundogan has revealed he is still uncertain about whether he sees a future at City.
Add to this list their Portuguese wizard Bernardo Silva desiring a return to the sunny shores of the continent and a gigantic offer for 32-year-old Riyad Mahrez to join Saudi club Al-Ahli, as reported by Foot Mercato, and the list seems to keep on growing.
So could a quadruple still be possible for Manchester City with this much uncertainty regarding their players’ futures? For any other team without this manager at the helm and this unparalleled financial backing, albeit in potential jeopardy, absolutely not.
The futures of Bernardo Silva (left) and captain Ilkay Gundogan (right), two pivotal players in this season’s treble, are in doubt
Riyad Mahrez is another City player whose future is in doubt heading into the summer window
But this City team has proven time and time again that they are not a team of individuals but a unit that relentlessly refreshes, much to the dismay of their opponents.
Throw back to 2017 when veteran Argentine Pablo Zabaleta was retiring and the right-back position seemed as if it was inevitably going to go down hill. Step in a fresh-faced Kyle Walker from Tottenham to fill these mighty boots, maybe adjust them a bit.
Pep’s constant tinkering happens on a widespread and microscopic level, and everyone else struggles to keep up. Aguero departs. John Stones plays as a midfielder. A striker drops back and plays as a false nine. Haaland reverses that. So whether or not there’s a concern that this current set of players will be the ones next involved, Pep’s history proves that he is capable of doing it again.
