Manchester City could make a "change of shape in midfield" in their upcoming derby clash against Manchester United, with manager Pep Guardiola having "given real consideration" to the idea, according to Jack Gaughan of the Daily Mail.
In their three games before the international break, City won once and lost twice, with the club having made a number of signings and seeing a good number of long-serving talents, including Ederson, Kevin de Bruyne, Kyle Walker and Ilkay Gundogan, depart the Etihad in the transfer window.
With Guardiola, as such, having overseen something close to a rebuild, in that his side have drafted in younger players who could theoretically be at the club for years, mixed results this early in the campaign could perhaps have been expected.
City have also been unlucky with injuries. At the time of writing, Mateo Kovacic, Omar Marmoush, Rayan Cherki and Rayan Ait-Nouri, the latter trio having all been signed within the last six months or so, are all out for weeks, whilst John Stones' fitness is once again in question, the defender having struggled for consistent health in recent years.
Due to this, it would seem that Guardiola is now considering making a change for his first of two Manchester derby games this season.
'Real Consideration' Given to Formation Change
pep guardiola
As per Gaughan, Guardiola has given a lot of thought to making a change of shape for City's home clash with inter-city rivals, Manchester United. Given that Josko Gvardiol and Nathan Ake are expected to be available, players like Rico Lewis and Matheus Nunes could be shifted centrally to bolster City's midfield ranks, alongside Phil Foden, who is also expected to be fit enough to feature.
This is a breaking story. Updates to follow.