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ETIHAD STADIUM, MANCHESTER — No sooner had Manchester City's fans bade an emotional farewell to Kevin De Bruyne, Pep Guardiola put them on notice for another seismic departure.
For Tuesday's 3-1 win over Bournemouth, which put City on the cusp of UEFA Champions League qualification after a season for form and fitness woes, Guardiola left first-team players Savinho, Abdukodir Khusanov, John Stones, Rico Lewis and James McAtee out of the matchday squad.
Boyhood City fans Lewis and McAtee were also omitted entirely from the FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace, where Claudio Echeverri made a surprise senior debut from the bench before being confined to the stands for the Bournemouth match.
De Bruyne's on-field speech brought tears to Guardiola's eyes and there was a further show of emotion in his post-match news conference when he discussed the anguish of having to leave players out who have trained hard all week.
"I said to the club, I don't want that [a bigger squad]. I don't want to leave five or six players in the freezer. I don't want that. I will quit. Make a shorter squad, I will stay. It's impossible for my soul to [tell] my players in the tribune [stands] that they cannot play."
Guardiola, as he often does, was bringing a little dramatic license into his media briefings. It's hard to envisage this immediately becoming a resigning matter. However, City are at an intriguing crossroads heading into a summer that will be dominated by their participation in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Why did Pep Guardiola say he would quit Man City?
The notion of dropping players hurting Guardiola's soul sounds like him laying it on thick, but it is not the first time the six-time Premier League winner has spoken about struggling with this.
Guardiola typically likes to work with a squad of around 18-20 senior players, with those numbers topped up when needed by youth-team graduates. During City's run of four consecutive Premier League titles and, most notably, prior to their treble success in 2022/23, there were frequent calls for them to add more players amid fears the squad was too small.
The small squad approach was ultimately vindicated by the silverware amassed, but this season, City suffered. Rodri's ACL injury and Oscar Bobb's broken leg probably brought them close to capacity in terms of what long-term absences could be absorbed. From there, short to medium-term injuries piled up — particular at centre-back — as City's season fell apart during the winter months.
This was a big part of the motivation for an unusually busy January window, with Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Vitor Reis and Khusanov all coming through the door, while Echeverri arrived on a previously agreed deal from River Plate. Additionally, City signed Juma Bah from from Valladolid before sending the 18-year-old defender on loan to Khusanov's former club Lens.
"Maybe [for] three, four months we couldn't select 11 players, we didn't have defenders, it was so difficult," Guardiola said. "After, people came back, but next season it cannot be like that.
"As a manager, I cannot train 24 players and every time I select I have to have four, five, six stay in Manchester at home because they cannot play. This is not going to happen. I said to the club, 'I don't want that'."
City's first season without a major domestic trophy since 2016/17 and the fact De Bruyne and some of the other stalwarts of Guardiola's team have grown old together means a refresh is necessary. It arguably began in January, with Marmoush by far the eldest signing at 26.
A report by the Telegraph said City's new sporting director Hugo Viana had his eye on two new midfielders — namely Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White and Tijjani Reijnders of AC Milan — along with a pair of reinforcements at full-back. Given City's age profile in the former position and lack of specialists in the latter, these are obvious areas of need.
But it will rub up against Guardiola's optimal squad size unless a number of ageing players on good contracts and promising youngsters can be moved on. This looks set to be the big challenge of Guardiola grooving his working relationship with a new sporting director, having worked so famously in-sync with his great friend Txiki Begiristain.
Man City squad depth chart
Rodri was given a standing ovation when he return from nine months out with a brief substitute cameo against Bournemouth. The Ballon d'Or winner was the 27th player to feature in a competitive match for City since the end of the busy January transfer window.
In terms of trimming those numbers, contract lengths are the most obvious issues. Aside from De Bruyne, the only other player whose deal expires in June 2025 is long-serving and non-playing goalkeeping backup Scott Carson.
Here's Guardiola's squad position-by-position and a brief look at where he might open up space.
Goalkeepers
Ederson, Stefan Ortega, Scott Carson
There could be movement here, but you can't really trim squad numbers because — at the risk of stating the obvious — you need goalkeepers. They're not fullbacks, Pep.
Ederson is once again being linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League. If a replacement arrives and sits ahead of Stefan Ortega in the pecking order, it would not be a surprise to see one of the most accomplished No. 2s seek a first-choice gig elsewhere.
Full-backs
Kyle Walker, Matheus Nunes, Nico O'Reilly, Rico Lewis
Again, a tricky place to cut numbers because... there aren't any full-backs. Club captain Kyle Walker joined AC Milan on loan and his absence from Tuesday's lengthy tribute video to De Bryune was the latest indication that the lines of communication to his parent club are hardly hot from overuse. Matheus Nunes and Nico O'Reilly have performed well and provided natural width at right-back and left-back respectively since Guardiola's switch to a 4-2-2-2 formation in March, but both are midfield specialists.
Lewis is also versatile and comfortable in midfield. Frequently singled out for praise by Guardiola, his absence from the past two matchday squads has been eyebrow-raising.
Centre-backs
Ruben Dias, John Stones, Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake, Josko Gvardiol, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis, Juma Bah
Okay, so there are numbers to trim here. John Stones will be City's longest-serving player if he stays after De Bruyne's departure, but persistent injury issues for the England centre-back have robbed Guardiola of one of his most reliable performers. The same can be said for Nathan Ake, who is under contract until 2027 — 12 months longer than Stones.
Ruben Dias will stay and probably become captain, while Josko Gvardiol and Manuel Akanji are vital because of their capacity to also play at full-back. Khusanov and Reis were signings made with an eye on the future and it certainly would not be a surprise to see the latter to join Bah out on loan.
Midfielders
Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Mateo Kovacic, Ilkay Gundogan, Nico Gonzalez, Kalvin Phillips
To the frequent chagrin of fans, Guardiola has relied heavily experienced trio Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan and Mateo Kovacic. All look vulnerable to a midfield overhaul at first glance, but Silva did not sound in the mood to go anywhere when he offered a scathing assessment of City's season last weekend.
Gundogan triggered a one-year extension, so is contracted until 2026, like Silva. This might not have happened without the 34-year-old German racking up so many appearances during City's winter injury crisis. Kovacic's deal runs until 2027.
Since Guardiola branded Nico Gonzalez a "mini-Rodri" things have not really panned out for the former Barcelona youngster. He must now learn from the master and try to get regular minutes at the same time. That can be a tough gig; just ask Kalvin Phillips, who realistically has no future at the club after being loaned to West Ham and Ipswich Town.
Forwards
Erling Haaland, Omar Marmoush, Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku, Savinho, Jack Grealish, Oscar Bobb, Claudio Echeverri
Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush have two of the longest contracts on City's books and Guardiola will hope their partnership blossoms next season, when Phil Foden and Oscar Bobb could each feel like new signings.
The jury remains out on talented but inconsistent wing duo Jeremy Doku and Savinho, but not to the extent they're likely to move on. Jack Grealish and McAtee feel like two of the most obvious departures in the whole squad, although that could bring City close to the line on the Premier League's required homegrown quota. Echeverri's FA Cup final cameo doesn't make it any less likely he'll spend next season out on loan.
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