Pep Guardiola’s first pre-season at the club was nothing but a warm-up for what is to come and a chance for him to assess certain players, allowing him to identify weaknesses in his squad.
This summer, however, seemed to be a lot more hassle than it was worth. The Manchester derby, which was supposed to be held in Beijing, was called off because of poor pitch conditions, and the surface used against Borussia Dortmund did not look good either.
Nevertheless, Guardiola afforded chances to a lot of youth players – notably Tosin Adarabioyo and Angelino – and gave them an opportunity to prove their worth in the build-up to his first season at the club. As well as youth players, the core of Guardiola’s plans were made apparent. Senior players looked to cement their place in the starting XI ahead of the opening day game against Sunderland.
Our writers have had their say on which player stood out most to them in pre-season:
