Which young Manchester City centre-back can separate themselves from the others this preseason?
With John Stones and Nathan Ake having departed Manchester City, the first-choice centre-backs for new manager Enzo Maresca are expected to be Ruben Dias, Abdukodir Khusanov, Marc Guehi, and Josko Gvardiol. However, due to fixture congestion and past injuries, there is room for a fifth-choice centre-back. Three young defenders—Vitor Reis, Max Alleyne, and Stephen Mfuni—are competing for that role during preseason. Vitor Reis, who impressed on loan at Girona in La Liga, is the clear favorite due to his defensive reading and ball progression skills. Max Alleyne showed promise during a loan at Watford and in a Carabao Cup semi-final but had mixed performances late last season. Stephen Mfuni, an 18-year-old academy product, had a strong loan spell at Watford before an ankle injury ended his season early. The article concludes that Reis is expected to secure the fifth-choice spot.
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