Despite suspending Benjamin Mendy as he awaits trial over alleged sex crimes, Manchester City aren’t short of left-backs in the first-team. Pep Guardiola has Oleksandr Zinchenko and Joao Cancelo who can operate in the role, but Zinchenko doesn’t command a starting place and Cancelo is a right-back, so the Premier League leaders could scour the transfer market for a natural option.
Joe Bray of the Manchester Evening News says City’s situation at left-back is an ‘outstanding issue’ that will ‘require strengthening’, even if Guardiola found a temporary solution this season. Athletico Paranaense’s Abner Vinicius was a target for City in January and AC Milan’s Theo Hernandez was also on their radar, but neither made the switch.
It remains to be seen who City will sign this summer to fill the left-back slot, but Guardiola might consider it more important to bring in a striker. The Sky Blues don’t have a player with more than 10 Premier League goals this season, so they need a frontman who can tuck away the chances others are missing.
Cancelo has shone at left-back this campaign, even if he isn’t a natural in the role, so City could line up with him and Kyle Walker on opposing flanks next season.
In other news, Man City midfielder could stay this summer, player ‘open to extending’ contract