It only feels like yesterday that Manchester City were crowned Premier League champions for the sixth time, but pre-season is already right around the corner.
With various UEFA Nations League commitments, a lot of players have had a limited summer break, but a timely one after such a demanding season.
It is not set to get any easier in the next 12 months, with the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar wedged in between the Premier League calendar.
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Squad depth will be tested to the absolute maximum during the season and Manchester City's transfer business seems to suggest they are preparing for that very possibility.
After already capturing the signings of Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez this summer, Kalvin Phillips completed his Sky Blue medical yesterday and is expected to be announced in the coming days.
In fact, the club have recently revealed a fan event at the Etihad Stadium on July 10th, where supporters will be able to see Haaland, Alvarez and Ortega for the first time.
Of course, it is expected Phillips will be completing the quartet once his move is confirmed.
The players are expected to return from holiday on July 11th and begin their pre-season duties with training at the City Football Academy, before flying out to the United States.
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Across the pond, they will be taking part in two friendlies against Club América and Bayern Munich.
As expected with any pre-season, the players are likely to be taking part in rigorous fitness tests to make sure they have returned from the break in good condition.
That means in the off-season, some first-team stars have been mixing up laying on the beach with a session on the football pitch.
Most recently, Jack Grealish posted a collection of images showing off his incredible physique as his season preparations step up another notch.
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This time, it was Ruben Dias' turn to share his journey, with a video of him working out with boxing gloves released on his Instagram page.
The Portuguese international has shown phenomenal commitment to the club since joining from Benfica for a reported £64 million fee in 2020.
However, it was not the video that caught City fans eye - it was the comments.
Bizarrely, Atletico Madrid's star striker, Joao Felix commented laughing emoji's - in various quantities - FOUR times.
That, of course, got Blues fans excited and drove the call for him to be finally brought to the Etihad Stadium.
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Felix has been linked with City various times over the years, but a move has never came to fruition.
Featured Image Credit: @rubendiasTopics: Joao Felix, Manchester City, Manchester City Transfer News & Rumours, Premier League, Ruben Dias, Atletico Madrid, La Liga
