Manchester City told to make two key signings as due head for exit – Pep Guardiola

Manchester City told to make two key signings as due head for exit – Pep Guardiola

 

Man City boss Pep Guardiola will be keen to bolster his squad this summer following a dismal season (Image: GETTY)

Manchester City have been told by former defender Richard Dunne to sign a right-back and a No. 8 this summer. The Citizens have endured a miserable campaign on the pitch and find themselves 22 points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool after being dumped out of the Champions League by Real Madrid.

 

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City’s woes began in the autumn after they lost influential midfielder Rodri to a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury. Pep Guardiola’s side experienced a nightmare November and have struggled to fully recover, despite signing Abdukodir Khusanov, Omar Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez in January, with a host of star players failing to hit the form they have displayed in previous seasons.

 

“They need to have quite a big turnover of players in the summer,” Dunne told Express Sport in an exclusive interview as part of his partnership with William Hill Vegas.

 

“The new players – certainly Marmoush and Khusanov, and probably to a lesser extent Gonzalez – have brought a new energy to the team. But they need more bodies in.

 

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“The full-back position has been a position that they’ve not covered, certainly at right-back. Obviously Rodri coming back will be huge for them. They probably just need a No. 8 as well.”

 

Ilkay Gundogan (left) and Bernardo Silva

Manchester City have been told not to write off Ilkay Gundogan (left) and Bernardo Silva (Image: GETTY)

Dunne also told Guardiola to avoid writing off Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva. The pair have looked a shadow of their former selves at times this season.

 

“They need a No. 8 who can get around the pitch like Gundogan used to, like Bernardo Silva used to,” added the former Republic of Ireland international. “It just doesn’t seem to be the same level of performance from those two. So hopefully he can make the new signings, but it’s hard.

 

“The players at Man City have been so good for so long. The likes of Silva and Gundogan, you can’t write them off. They might be having a bit of a down time but if they come back and they perform to what they can, they’re amazing.”

 

 

Guardiola penned a new contract earlier this season, with the deal set to keep him at the Etihad Stadium until at least 2027.

 

And Dunne explained: “I’m sure his aim will be to make sure Man City are back on top by the time he does decide to leave.

 

“He looks like he’s sort of encouraged and motivated by the opportunity to do a rebuild and to get the next version of Man City up and playing, up and going. So I don’t see that he’ll be leaving any time soon.”