Man City are making English football great again rather than ruining it

It is not beyond the realms of possibility that Manchester City will provide the bulk of the England team by the time the 2024 Euros come around.

And if their clutch of talented young home-grown stars can continue to develop at their current pace, they could be the focus of a realistic Three Lions assault on the 2026 World Cup.

Not bad for a club that is often portrayed as “ruining English football” by being better than everyone else.

City already provide close to half of the national team’s current strongest XI, with Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling, Kyle Walker and John Stones all at the forefront of Gareth Southgate’s mind when it comes to picking his team, and Jack Grealish not far behind.

The last time England had a meaningful match - the World Cup qualifier against Albania in November - all five played, even though at City we find Foden, Grealish and Sterling are effectively in competition for two places.

The arrival of Cole Palmer on the scene this season, after he spectacularly forced his way into the England under-21 side with two goals in four games, served notice that at his current rate of progress he will be pushing for full England honours within a couple of years.

And with Liam Delap and James McAtee both proving they are the best in their positions at under-23 level by dominating the goals and assists tables in the Premier League 2 last year, and now impressing as fully-fledged members of Pep Guardiola’s squad, there are two more Blues starlets in the reckoning.

Sam Edozie is another who could add to that potent mix, although his chance this season has been ruined by injury.

It doesn’t stop with attacking players.

Josh Wilson-Esbrand’s new contract shows that City believe he could be a long-term solution