Manchester City must put emotion to one side when it comes to overhauling their squad in the summer after a frustrating season.
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Pep Guardiola set out his stance on Ederson last week
Pep Guardiola will need to make some tough decisions on some iconic Manchester City players this summer.
(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
Phil Foden called this season a 'slip' for Manchester City. He wants to save 'a poor season' with a top four finish and the FA Cup, and has called for belief to do that with 10 games remaining.
But Manchester City don't want to be in the habit of saving seasons or scrapping for Europe. It will hurt when Liverpool lift the Premier League trophy that has lived at the Etihad Stadium for the last four years - assuming the Reds don't collapse.
The City rebuild has already started as Pep Guardiola tackles the challenge of winning that title back. The £180m spent in January addressed key positions and his selections of late have suggested some players will be at risk in the summer, too.
Jack Grealish can't even get off the bench in the Premier League let alone start a game against. Kevin De Bruyne is being used less and less, too. Kyle Walker was jettisoned in January after deciding to walk before he was pushed.
Walker will likely lead the summer exits with AC Milan having an option to buy. De Bruyne's contract is up at the end of the season and the less he plays the less likely an extension seems. It certainly is less logical by the game to pay the Belgian top dollar when he's only playing a minimal role.
Ilkay Gundogan is close to triggering an extra year on the deal he signed in the summer, yet if City are serious about rebuilding then he won't have a big role to play next term and may be better off elsewhere. Add Grealish to that category, too - if Guardiola can't play him this season then he surely won't get a look in with more players fit, and that is before any incoming transfers.
Other midfielders who would struggle for minutes when everyone is fit include Matheus Nunes and Mateo Kovacic. Both are reasonable squad options but City will have Rodri, Nico Gonzalez, Foden and Bernardo Silva as options next term.
Kalvin Phillips has been linked with a return to Leeds, and City would surely prefer to find a permanent solution to his future after another disappointing loan away this season. He's not been missed at the Etihad despite all their midfield woes.
Into defence and Guardiola admitted recently that players who can't stay fit may be subject to difficult conversations in the summer. For everything that John Stones and Nathan Ake have given City, they cannot be relied upon for regular games.
Finally, Ederson flirted with leaving last summer but ultimately decided against it. Guardiola loves the goalkeeper and he won't be forced out, however he will need to be replaced at some point and he may generate the highest value this summer while he is still able to play at the top level.
Joe Hart's demotion in 2016 and Ederson's arrival in 2017 brought with it a strong statement that things were changing at City under Guardiola. There will need to be a few exits of a similar nature to show City are serious about bouncing back to ensure their 'slip' doesn't turn into a slide.