Can Marc Guehi play in the FA Cup for Manchester City this season? | OneFootball

Marc Guehi’s eligibility to feature for Manchester City in the FA Cup this season has been confirmed in a new report ahead of the fourth round of the competition.

The England international has been the subject of significant discussion following his move to Manchester City, with supporters at first eager to know whether he could immediately contribute in domestic cup action.

Following on from clarity surrounding Guehi’s eligibility in the Carabao Cup, and the player being unable to contribute in either the semi-final second-leg win over Newcastle United, and now the Final against Arsenal in March, fans have asked similar questions for the FA Cup.

Manchester City take on Salford City this weekend having cruised beyond League One side Exeter City in the third round, owing to a remarkable record-equalling 10-1 win over Gary Caldwell’s outfit.

Guehi, who joined City in January, has already featured in the competition to prompt questions over whether he would be cup-tied, but a new report has issued confirmation on such a possibility.

As clarified by BBC Sport, Marc Guehi will be eligibile to play for Manchester City in the FA Cup this season despite already playing in the competition for Crystal Palace during their shock defeat to non-league side, Macclesfield.

The report points out that the Football Association now deem “a player may play for a maximum of one other club in the competition proper”, but cannot play for two different teams in the same round.

For Guehi and Manchester City, the first opportunity to take advantage of such rules will come this weekend, when League Two side Salford City visit the Etihad Stadium in the fourth round of the competition.

With Pep Guardiola and his players continuing to balance four different competitions heading into the latter stages of a hectic February fixture list, rotation within the Manchester City squad will be essential to any success.

Despite his eligibility for this weekend’s encounter, it is more likely that Marc Guehi may be handed an afternoon off, and Pep Guardiola could issue opportunities to the likes of Max Alleyne, Nathan Ake, and perhaps John Stones.

The latter has been sidelined for a prolonged period of time owing to an injury problem, and having returned to the matchday squad for Wednesday night’s 3-0 home win over Fulham, the Englishman could return to competition action against Salford City.