Exclusive: Alvaro Negredo names two Manchester City players he would like to have played alongside | OneFootball

Former Manchester City striker Alvaro Negredo has named which members of the current squad he would have liked to have played alongside during his career.

During his one-season spell at the Etihad Stadium, Negredo formed part of one of City’s most feared attacking units working under Manuel Pellegrini, combining physicality, instinctive finishing, and an ability to thrive in a possession-based framework.

More than a decade later, the former Spain international has reflected on the evolution of the club, and in doing so offered insight into which of Pep Guardiola’s present-day stars he believes he would have complemented on the pitch.

Negredo’s admiration for the modern City set-up is not a surprise given the attacking depth currently at Guardiola’s disposal. While his own era boasted an abundance of goals – powered by the likes of Sergio Agüero, David Silva, and Yaya Touré – City’s current squad features a generation of players shaped by an even more refined control of the ball and positional play.

Within that context the former forward reflected on how his style would have blended with today’s roster, particularly as a striker known for combining strength with smart movement and an eye for quick transitions.

Speaking exclusively to City Xtra, thanks to BetVictor Casino, Alvaro Negredo named Phil Foden as one of the members of the current squad at the disposal of Pep Guardiola that he would have liked to have played alongside.

“Well, there are several,” Negredo initially admitted. “I like playing with the best, like Phil Foden, who is a player who has a good vision of the game, can score outside the area, and has a good cross.”

The former Spain international continued, “He would be one of the players, but as I have liked to play with two forwards, I would think about playing with Erling Haaland.

“I think that between the two of us we would understand each other well, and I think we would enjoy it too.”

Offering some insight into the style of play executed by his format of the Manchester City squad coached by Manuel Pellegrini, Negredo said, “The style of Man City right now is about ball possession, to reach opponents, with a low block but with very good ball counter-attack.

“I think ours was a bit more trying to play with more offensive players. I think both were able to win the Premier League, they did it for a long time with that style. For English football it would be the style from our time, with lots of goals, lots of attacks.

“The game is very open but with a lot of quality in the offensive areas, which we had a lot of during that season, and I’ll stick with ours, although theirs is also so valuable.”

As Manchester City continue to evolve under Pep Guardiola’s guidance, heading into the final period of the Catalan’s existing contract, Alvaro Negredo’s reflections provide an intriguing glimpse into how players from different eras might slot into the club’s current structure.

The idea of him linking up with Phil Foden’s creativity or Erling Haaland’s ruthless finishing offers a fascinating hypothetical for supporters. Looking ahead, the comments also highlight how modern City attackers might compare to the prolific forwards of Pellegrini’s 2013/14 title-winning side.

With Haaland in his prime and Foden ascending to superstar status himself, the thought of merging eras remains an enticing fantasy for Manchester City fans.