Summer is nearly over. The sky-blue ticker tape has long since been swept from Manchester’s gutters. Medals have been stashed in display cases and sock drawers. Even the ringing in Jack Grealish’s ears from the euphoric trance-house beats of Ibiza’s finest dancefloors is beginning to subside. And the mood around Manchester City, as the days until the start of the new season fall away, feels a little strange.
Pep Guardiola cut a slightly twitchy figure on City’s pre-season tour to the Far East. So far, only one new player has arrived – Mateo Kovacic, a good pro but at 29, not a transformative addition. Kyle Walker and Bernardo Silva are in danger of being gobbled up by the hungry hippos of the summer transfer market,
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