Two Manchester City stars’ Club World Cup future remains in doubt amid National Team clash | OneFootball

Manchester City are yet to gauge any further clarity over whether Pep Guardiola will be able to count upon Rico Lewis and James McAtee at the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup.

The Etihad Stadium side will have no time to break off during the forthcoming off-season, with the club making their debut appearance at the brand new revamped version of the FIFA Club World Cup, hosted in the United States.

Not only are Manchester City expected to bring with them their full first-team squad, but there is also an expectance in some quarters that the tournament could also feature some new signings, should deals progress over the coming weeks.

Among the names that are already being targeted by the club for immediate moves to the Etihad Stadium are Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White, AC Milan’s Tijjani Reijnders, and Newcastle United’s Tino Livramento.

But there is also plenty of uncertainty surrounding other names due to be at the tournament, with international commitments for younger stars getting in the way of clear availability for the competition Stateside.

That largely concerns Rico Lewis and James McAtee, who are likely to be demanded for action with England Under-21 set-up this summer, as they gear up to compete at the Under-21 European Championships in Slovakia.

Speaking to reporters during his pre-match press conference ahead of Manchester City’s visit to Fulham on Sunday afternoon, Pep Guardiola was quizzed on whether either player would be at the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup given their clash of duties.

“Not yet,” he responded when asked whether a decision had already been taken on the matter. “It normally happens when you go to the World Cup or European Cup we are already on holidays, that’s why they go. But now the situation is here, they have to talk.”

The Manchester City manager continued, “I don’t know – now I’m going to make a joke because I’m such a funny guy – who is going to pay the salary in this month; the National Team or the Club, when they decide to go to the Under-21s. I don’t know who is going to pay it.

“But who is going to decide, I would say the players with the club. They have to talk with the sporting director and they have to decide what they want to do.”

In a closing statement, Guardiola also revealed, “I know that Lee [Carsley], the manager for the Under-21s, asked the club for both players to go to the Under-21 Euros. But I don’t know the resolution right now.”

The latest edition of the Under-21 European Championships hosted by Slovakia is set to take place between 11 June and 28 June 2025, while the FIFA Club World Cup runs from 14 June through to 13 July.

Manchester City are set to embark on an initial three matches as part of their group stage at the tournament, taking on Italy’s Juventus, Morocco’s Wydad AC, and the United Arab Emirates’ Al Ain.