After the crisis in the first half of last season, “Manchester City” decided to rebuild its squad. The generational change demanded by Pep Guardiola officially began on January 20 — the day Uzbek player Abduqodir Husanov joined the club.
According to football experts, after the last two transfer windows, the average age of City’s main squad has dropped by nearly two years. A year ago, it stood at 26.9, while now it is 25.1.
This was largely due to the departures of senior players — Kevin De Bruyne, Ederson, Ilkay Gundogan, and Manuel Akanji. Moreover, new sporting director Hugo Viana was given the specific task of rejuvenating the team.
This season, young players are taking on a leading role under Guardiola. The youngest among them is academy graduate Nico O’Riley, born in 2005. Abduqodir Husanov, Rico Lewis, and Savinho are only one year older.
In attack, youth also dominates: Oscar Bobb and Rayan Cherki, both born in 2003, are emerging as new faces of the club.
At the same time, experienced players remain part of the backbone — John Stones and Bernardo Silva (born 1994) and Nathan Ake (born 1995) continue to provide stability.
Thus, Manchester City’s transformation is visible not only in its transfer strategy but also in the team’s mentality and style. Guardiola’s main goal is to create a young, yet experienced and consistent team ready to dominate in the coming years.
Read “Zamin” on Telegram!
