Manchester City have jetted out to the United States for their pre-season tour and there is a surprise member of their travelling party.
The bulk of City's first-team squad is missing due to being given time off from the Euro 2024 and Copa America tournaments.
Jack Grealish, Erling Haaland, Ederson, Stefan Ortega, Oscar Bobb, Kalvin Phillips and Scott Carson are all present, though the majority of the group is made up of young players eager to make an impression.
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In total 27 players have made the trip, including one who is not even contracted to City.
Amar Fatah, a 20-year-old winger, has been selected. The Swede plays for Troyes, and spent last season on loan at fellow City Football Group club Lommel SK in Belgium.
According to Sam Lee from The Athletic, Fatah has spent time in Manchester to receive treatment on an injury.
He is therefore accompanying the squad to the States as part of the next step in his recovery.
It presents a huge opportunity for Fatah, who signed his first professional deal with AIK in Sweden back in November in 2021.
He is essentially going on tour as a trialist but the Manchester Evening News stress he is unlikely to sign for the Premier League champions.
New signing Savio is not scheduled to be joining the squad in America, though Croatian pair Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic.
Callum Doyle, Josh Wilson-Esbrand, Maximo Perrone and James McAtee are all involved after returning from their respective loan spells last season.
City will take on Celtic in North Carolina on 24 July for their first fixture, before taking on AC Milan in the iconic Yankee Stadium.
They will then meet Barcelona in Orlando and Chelsea in Ohio before the curtain-raiser against Manchester United in the Community Shield on 10 August at Wembley.
Topics: Manchester City, Premier League, Pep Guardiola
Josh Lawless