Pep Guardiola provides early insight into Manchester City’s travelling squad plans for 2025 FIFA Club World Cup | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has insisted upon his early belief that big name players will not be granted time off when the FIFA Club World Cup arrives.

The Premier League champions will head out to the United States this summer looking to retain their crown claimed after winning the UEFA Champions League over Inter at the end of the 2022/23 season.

Aside from the obvious honour of claiming Europe’s top prize, Manchester City were rewarded with a place in the UEFA Super Cup final against Sevilla, and at the FIFA Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia in the following December.

Wins over the Spanish side in Greece, as well as Urawa Reds and Fluminense in the Middle-East rounded off five trophy successes in a calendar year, and ensured Manchester City would take the title of ‘world champions’.

But with FIFA looking to revamp and expand the latter competition, City would not see their crown taken off them by anyone else and as such have retained gold patches on their shirt and the honour through until the summer of 2025.

The expanded tournament has not come without critics, particularly from those in England who are pointing out the obvious issue of down time between the potential conclusion of Club World Cup exploits at the final stage and the start of the new domestic season.

Speaking during a recent press conference, Pep Guardiola was asked whether he would consider allowing some of his players the chance to miss out on the FIFA Club World Cup in order to return for the new season fresh with additional rest.

“No, I don’t think so. It’s summer time there, we’ll go with the families, we will train the way we have to train, prepare the games, it’s important for the club, financially and for the prestige,” Guardiola clarified.

“We will come with people from the Academy. No I don’t think so, after we will see if I give extra time to arrive late to maybe the first games of the Premier League or the first games of the season, arriving a little bit later.

“We will see how the people arrive and how many minutes some players play, some players playing less minutes, we will see.”

On whether Academy players would be brought with the wider Manchester City first-team squad for the United States-based tournament, Guardiola responded, “Yeah I think so, even for the training sessions, for some players.

“I have to see, I have to talk with the club, the manager for the Under-23s, or Under-18s, and see. But still it’s three months and a half until the end of the season I would say before the World Cup and after we will have time to see what happens.”

Manchester City officials and those in leadership positions at the Etihad are believed to be keen supporters of the expanded and revamped Club World Cup, even assisting FIFA with their promotion of the competition and aiding its marketing efforts in the lead up to the summer.

Last month, FIFA president Gianni Infantino was hosted by Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium for the Premier League clash with Chelsea, while the new trophy of the Club World Cup was on show in the city centre throughout the day.