Man City could change transfer plans after unexpected Club World Cup development

Vitor Reis was always likely to play in the Club World Cup this summer, but his appearance for Manchester City against Wydad AC last week confirmed why the club were so keen to sign him in January.

City paid £29.6million to sign the 19-year-old centre-back from Palmeiras, with the Brazilian club initially hoping the teenager would remain with them for the tournament in the United States.

Instead, City wanted Reis there and then, and after a steady beginning to his Etihad career, he is starting to show why there is so much excitement around his talent. There was one slip against the Moroccan side in Philadelphia last week, but beyond that, he defended well and looked excellent on the ball.

It was only his third start for the Blues and just his fourth appearance in all. There was a 45-minute debut against Leyton Orient before being replaced at the break and then a full game against Plymouth, as well as a couple of minutes off the bench against Leicester City in the Premier League.

Reis's issue is one of competition. He was signed in January as a player for the future, but had chances due to a defensive injury crisis that rarely abated. Now, all of Pep Guardiola's central defenders are present and available in the United States.

Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol are likely to form a first-choice partnership, but that still leaves Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake and John Stones in reserve. Abdukodir Khusanov, who was also signed in January for £33.5million, has also been ahead of Reis in the pecking order.

That would leave the youngster potentially as low as seventh-choice centre-back, which is clearly a pointless situation for someone who needs games to develop. A report in Brazil on Friday suggested City could now decide to keep