Pep Guardiola drops Man City transfer hint after Al-Hilal embarrassment at Club World Cup

Manchester City were dumped from the Club World Cup as they lost 4-3 in extra time to Al-Hilal, with Pep Guardiola’s side now handed extra downtime before the Premier League season begins

Pep Guardiola has hinted at further outgoings at Manchester City after they were dumped out of the Club World Cup by Al-Hilal. Despite dominating the first 45 minutes with plenty of clear-cut chances, Guardiola’s side were stunned by two quick goals in the second half and eventually lost 4-3 in extra time.

This shock defeat marks an early departure from what had become a promising tournament for City. Guardiola hailed their 5-2 win over Juventus as their best performance in a long time.

While it looked like this form was set to continue into the round of 16, Simone Inzaghi avenged his 2023 Champions League final loss with Inter as he led his Saudi team to a stunning victory.

Now, Guardiola has admitted that the 27-man squad he chose to travel with was still too large and will need to be reduced before the new season begins, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Speaking about the team’s exit from the competition, Guardiola told DAZN: “It’s really good, but [I’m] disappointed for many players that we would have loved to have let them play but it was not possible.

“We have a big squad and we’ll see what happens. Now it is tough but we come back in the next days, rest, and start the Premier League.”

City now have six weeks before they visit Wolves to kick off their Premier League campaign, offering extra rest than anticipated. Their pre-season schedule was dependent on their progression in the US.

While the chance for additional rest will be welcomed after their summer was shortened due to the Club World Cup, they will also need to be active in the transfer market.

Four new signings were already on board ahead of the summer tournament, but Guardiola still sees a lot more work to be done within the squad list – including trimming it down significantly.

Kyle Walker, Kalvin Phillips and Jack Grealish were among the players who did not travel to the United States as they seek other opportunities.

It now seems the City boss will be leaving even more players behind as he embarks on a new path to restoring Premier League glory to the Etihad Stadium.

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