Three Manchester City players return to pre-season training - final star back later this week

Three Manchester City players returned to training on Monday as the club’s preparations for the 2024/25 Premier League season intensify.

The champions begin the new campaign with a trip to Chelsea on Sunday, before facing Ipswich Town the following week in the first home game of the season. Pep Guardiola warned during the summer that City will not be fully prepared for both games following an stunted pre-season due to the numbers away on international duty.

It meant a plethora of first-team stars missed the summer tour of the US, including the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Ruben Dias - who were among the nine players who returned in the week building up to the Community Shield.

The four players involved in the final of Euro 2024 missed that game at Wembley but are back in training this week. England stars John Stones, Kyle Walker and Phil Foden were in training on Monday, while Rodri is set for his first day back on Wednesday. The quartet are unlikely to be involved when City face Chelsea on Sunday, and might not return to the starting XI until the end of the month.

“We try to give them the best rest possible, as much as possible,” Guardiola said last week when asked about his summer preparations for the new season. “We would like to give them more time but it is what it is. But we gave them a lot.”

City started with a youthful XI against Manchester United last week which included Rico Lewis, Nico O’Reilly, James McAtee and Oscar Bobb, although it’s likely that Guardiola will name a more experienced side at Stamford Bridge.