Manchester City players not on international duty have been handed two weeks away from Etihad Campus training by head coach Enzo Maresca, with the squad trusted to manage their own fitness during the international break.
There will be no group sessions at the City Football Academy during the fortnight.
Foden and Nunes among those staying in Manchester
Phil Foden, Matheus Nunes and Allan are among the players who will remain in Manchester while the bulk of Maresca’s squad report for national-team duty, according to the Manchester Evening News. Those left uninvolved with their countries have been given licence to use the time as they see fit, provided they return in condition to resume full training.
Belgium winger Jeremy Doku, meanwhile, has been left out of his country’s squad as he continues his recovery from a recent injury. Doku is expected to spend part of the coming week working at the CFA on his rehabilitation rather than taking the full two weeks away, the report added.
The policy mirrors the one City ran throughout Guardiola’s decade in charge, when non-internationals were similarly freed from group training during breaks rather than being brought in for supervised sessions.
It is an early sign that, while Maresca has made wholesale changes to City’s squad and tactical approach since replacing Guardiola in the summer, some of the club’s day-to-day habits are being carried over into the new era.
Maresca staying put as focus turns to Liverpool
Maresca himself will not be travelling during the break. The Italian, whose children are at school in Manchester, will use the gap to review City’s start to the season rather than take time away himself. The head coach will instead have three weeks to assess his team’s form before the Premier League resumes.
City go into the break in emphatic shape, having won seven successive matches in all competitions, most recently a 5-3 victory over Sunderland. That run has fuelled optimism around the Etihad that Maresca is settling quickly into arguably the most demanding job in English football.
Players remaining in Manchester will resume working with Maresca in the week before City’s trip to Anfield, with those away on international duty scheduled to report back according to their own countries’ fixture schedules.
City’s away record at Anfield in recent seasons has been mixed. With September’s flying start already generating high expectations among supporters, the visit to Merseyside on 11 October is likely to be treated as a marker of how far Maresca’s rebuilt squad has progressed.
