Vitor Reis
Vitor Reis made an impressive start to City's Club World Cup campaign
Vitor Reis was always likely to play in the Club World Cup this summer, but his appearance for Manchester City against Wydad AC last week confirmed why the club were so keen to sign him in January.
City paid £29.6million to sign the 19-year-old centre-back from Palmeiras, with the Brazilian club initially hoping the teenager would remain with them for the tournament in the United States.
Instead, City wanted Reis there and then, and after a steady beginning to his Etihad career, he is starting to show why there is so much excitement around his talent. There was one slip against the Moroccan side in Philadelphia last week, but beyond that, he defended well and looked excellent on the ball.
It was only his third start for the Blues and just his fourth appearance in all. There was a 45-minute debut against Leyton Orient before being replaced at the break and then a full game against Plymouth, as well as a couple of minutes off the bench against Leicester City in the Premier League.
Reis's issue is one of competition. He was signed in January as a player for the future, but had chances due to a defensive injury crisis that rarely abated. Now, all of Pep Guardiola's central defenders are present and available in the United States.
Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol are likely to form a first-choice partnership, but that still leaves Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake and John Stones in reserve. Abdukodir Khusanov, who was also signed in January for £33.5million, has also been ahead of Reis in the pecking order.
That would leave the youngster potentially as low as seventh-choice centre-back, which is clearly a pointless situation for someone who needs games to develop. A report in Brazil on Friday suggested City could now decide to keep Reis in the first-team squad this season, rather than loan him out.
That is an approach Guardiola has regularly taken with the very best youngsters at the club, believing they will benefit from the elite training environment and understanding the tactical structures, even if they don't play as many minutes as they might do on loan.
Club World Cup on DAZN
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The FIFA Club World Cup will see 32 of the world's best club teams including Man City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, PSG and Bayern Munich play across 63 games from June 14-July 13.
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But there is certainly plenty of interest in Reis, and he could still secure a loan move to a high-level European club, which City could decide would aid his development if he remains seventh on the list for games at the heart of the Blues' defence.
That might depend on what happens to the centre-backs in front of him on the list. Dias and Gvardiol are secure, and Khusanov made an impact after his January arrival, even if his game time dried up towards the end of last season. The 21-year-old didn't feature in the Premier League after mid-March and didn't make the matchday squad for five of the final nine games.
Ake, Akanji and Stones are the defenders whose futures are most likely to be under consideration. Akanji is 29, Ake is 30 and Stones is 31, and one of them could be moved on this summer.
Stones is perhaps most vulnerable. He was outstanding a couple of years ago, but has now had two injury-hit seasons and has lost his status as a first-choice. He hasn't played since limping off early on in the Bernabeu on February 19 and how he is handled during the Club World Cup will be instructive.
What City decide to do with Reis might well depend on the future of Stones, and maybe Ake and Akanji as well. There is clearly a changing of the guard within this squad, and if the Brazilian continues to impress, it could yet embolden Guardiola to let a couple of his more experienced central defenders leave this summer.
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