Joao Cancelo gives verdict on new Man City signing as Pep Guardiola explains selection tactics

22.08.2022 - 00:19 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Here are your Manchester City evening headlines for Sunday, August 21:

Joao Cancelo is expecting big things from Sergio Gomez after the Spanish defender completed his move to Manchester City.

Gomez, 21, joined from Anderlecht in an £11m deal to become the fifth and likely final signing of a busy summer window for the Blues that has also seen five major departures. After missing out on top target Marc Cucurella to replace Oleksandr Zinchenko, Guardiola decided that Gomez would be enough - countering the initial plan to send the youngster out on loan and buy another defender.

City like the player's versatility, but he is mainly in the squad to provide cover and competition for Joao Cancelo, the Portugal international who played more minutes than any other player last season. Cancelo was brought to the club in 2019 to challenge Kyle Walker for a starting place but has since made the left-back spot his own.

Read the full story here.

A bullish Pep Guardiola has said that will not be taking the upcoming World Cup into consideration in the slightest when picking his starting XIs for the first half of the season.

The football calendar has been turned on its head this season as the controversial Qatar World Cup will be held in the winter rather than its typical spot of the summer months during the off-season. As a result, the campaign will be suspended after match day 16 on the weekend of November 12-13, with the call-up period for the World Cup beginning on the 14th.

There won't be long for Premier League players to prepare as the World Cup gets underway on Sunday, November 20, when hosts Qatar face Ecuador. The tournament will run until the final on December 18 before the Premier League gets back underway a week later