Key Man City strategy set to leave Liverpool FC and Chelsea standing in next five years

Ederson, Stones, Dias, Laporte, Cancelo, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Palmer, Kayky, Grealish.

Those ten names could form the basis of the Manchester City squad three years from now, when most of them will be at their peak.

That is a sobering thought for the rest of the Premier League, especially rivals Liverpool, who appear to be staring at a triple-barrelled shotgun as star forward trio Sadio Mane, Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino approach the final year of their current deals.

Chelsea also have serious work to do, with Toni Rudiger, N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic and Callum Hudson-Odoi all approaching the final two years of their contracts.

People talk a lot about City’s spending in the transfer market, a lot of it nonsense that fails to recognise that their investments in quality players pay off in terms of improving the value of those human assets as well as winning trophies.

Not such a popular topic is the way City have kept hold of those players, by cultivating a family atmosphere around the playing squad, a bond that carries them through difficult moments in matches, and tough times in seasons.

One recent criticism of City suggested City’s squad seems restless and unfulfilled despite all their success - the comment of someone who does not see those players close up.

Like any other squad, players who are not playing get fractious - as Raheem Sterling and Aymeric Laporte did last season, and occasionally a player gets homesick for personal, non-football related reasons, as Bernardo Silva has in the last two summers.

But the fact that all three of those players stayed, and have thrived this season, speaks of the real spirit and togetherness in this exceptional squad of players.

It did not need to be