During the 2025/2026 season, there will be a battle amongst the Manchester City squad to play regular football as their squad depth is up there with the best of the best in the Premier League.
Pep Guardiola could make more new signings after the FIFA Club World Cup, which could further boost the competition for places in the squad.
However, by doing so, the Manchester City boss could risk upsetting some of his key players.
With Guardiola aiming to win the Premier League, it is unlikely that he will take any prisoners and some big names might have to accept that they will play infrequently unless they intend to move elsewhere.
Stefan Ortega hopes to become Man City starter but Ederson confirms he will stay
One man who is virtually guaranteed to be a starter is Ederson, who confirmed he will stay at Manchester City despite being strongly linked with an exit.
However, Stefan Ortega might be devastated about the news.
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Ortega aimed to become Manchester City’s number one next season and despite the German largely impressing since his arrival in 2022, Ederson has been Pep Guardiola’s go-to goalkeeper.
Before the former Arminia Bielefeld shotsopper penned a contract extension until 2026, Scott Carson suggested Ortega to stay at City.
However, in October, there was a possibility that Ortega would leave City due to his doubts about succeeding Ederson as Pep Guardiola’s starting goalkeeper.
During the 2024/2025 season, the 32-year-old ended up staying and he subsequently started 21 games in all competitions but a major reason why that was the case was due to Ederson’s persistent injuries.
STEFAN ORTEGA STARTS PER COMPETITION: 2024/2025 SEASON
PREMIER LEAGUE 12
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2
FA CUP 4
CARABAO CUP 2
FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP 1
TOTAL 21
Ilkay Gundogan called Ortega “underrated” and the player himself will be aware that he could be a starting goalkeeper at several other clubs.
What Stefan Ortega has just said about his Man City future
In the event that the two-time Premier League winner opts to depart the Etihad Stadium, Pep Guardiola would have every reason to be concerned.
Hugo Viana admires Marcus Bettinelli but he has been brought in to be a third-choice goalkeeper.
When asked about his future, Ortega refused to confirm whether he will stay at Manchester City and there could be a possibility that Guardiola may need to sign a new understudy to Ederson.
The Manchester City star said via ESPN: “It’s quite early for that question, I can’t say anything about that, it’s too early.”