Man City have a week to wrap up transfer deal that would avoid Manchester United embarrassment

The term ‘bomb squad’ isn’t one that has ever really been needed at Manchester City. Having a group of players told to train alone and away from the rest of the first team is a sign of failure in the transfer market and in squad building.

Chelsea had a sizeable group ostracised last year as Enzo Maresca sought to cut a squad bloated by the Todd Boehly regime's transfer excesses. Now, you only need to look at Manchester United for the embarrassment it can cause.

United have five players told they aren’t needed, but none have yet left the club. With Ruben Amorim’s squad returning for pre-season training, Tyrell Malacia, Jadon Sancho, Antony, Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho have all been told they can only use the Carrington facilities after 5pm, when everyone else has gone home.

That is a dreadful look and hardly conducive to creating a successful environment. Thankfully, Pep Guardiola hasn’t really had to operate in similar circumstances, at least since his first couple of summers.

That won’t drastically change this summer, but with a week to go before Guardiola and his staff welcome the players back for pre-season training, there is one issue the City boss will want sorting before July 28, and that is the future of Jack Grealish.

The 29-year-old can hardly constitute a bomb squad of one, but it is very clear that his future lies away from the Etihad, and right now he isn’t considered part of the first-team squad. Getting Kyle Walker’s future sorted before pre-season begins was a win for City, but now attention is firmly on Grealish.

Guardiola already has a sizeable squad at his disposal, and he won’t want players added to the group who he isn’t expecting to work with when the season begins at Wolves on August 16.