Five youngsters to watch on Man City's US pre-season tour

We're just three days away from Manchester City's first game of the 2022/23 campaign - a friendly against Club América in the United States.

Ahead of such a hectic season, preparations to defend their Premier League crown are already underway and two games across the pond will give Pep Guardiola a chance to assess his squad and build valuable fitness ahead of the annual Community Shield curtain raiser in a fortnights' time.

Alongside some first-team stars, the Catalan has supplemented his travelling squad with a crop of youth talent. Amongst them are the more established Liam Delap and James McAtee, but there are a few interesting names that could get a chance to impress. Here are five names to look out for:

Maybe now more than ever, the towering central defender is one to keep a very keen eye on. He recently signed a three-year contract extension at the Etihad Stadium and the management clearly have faith that he can develop into a regular first-team starter.

He made his senior City debut last season and went on to also make appearances in the FA Cup and Champions League. Openly admitting to modelling his game on Vincent Kompany, Mbete has the tough task of displacing four world-class options in central defence - but it is a challenge he certainly will not shy away from.

With Oleksandr Zinchenko linked with a move to Arsenal this summer, pre-season could be the perfect chance for Wilson-Esbrand to show Guardiola that he does not need to sign a replacement if the Ukrainian departs.

Also making his senior debut last season, the left-back bagged his first professional assist and showed glimpses of what he could do against Wycombe Wanderers.

Injuries have made it tough for him to come back and feature more frequently,