Due to the high turnover that comes with being a team competing for Premier League titlesManchester City has had to let many top players go over the years. Many of them have gone on to be successful elsewhere.
For example, Julian Alvarez is now a top striker at Atletico Madrid, Joao Cancelo is now back in Europe starring for Barcelona, whilst Ilkay Gundogan also had success at Barca after leaving City.
On the whole, City appears to know when it is time to move a player on. Here are three players who Pep Guardiola will not regret letting go of.
3 former Man City players who are struggling with their current teams
Raheem Sterling
When Manchester City decided to part ways with Raheem Sterling, it seemed a strange one. He had just been on the back of a title-winning Premier League campaign in which he had scored 13 goals, with six assists in 30 matches.
Chelsea then signed him for £47.5 million in 2022, which now appears very good business from a City perspective. Sterling's move to the Blues did not work out, and he was dropped to their bomb squad. A loan move to Arsenal could not resurrect his career.
Now, Sterling is with Feyenoord, where he has played just six Eredivisie games since joining them in February. He has not scored for the Dutch side, but did make an assist in a 2-1 win over Excelsior. He was left on the bench in their last game. It is expected that his contract will not be renewed, so the player, who is just 31, will face another uncertain summer.
James McAtee
James McAtee's future looked bright after he helped England win the European U21 Championship last year. During the tournament, he scored one and made two assists. This included setting up Omari Hutchison in the 3-2 win over Germany in the final. However, he was lacking game time at City and made just 34 appearances in total for City's first team.
McAtee had successful loans at Sheffield United in both the Championship and the Premier League. These led to a permanent move to Nottingham Forest. However, he has made just 10 league appearances for Forest this campaign, without scoring or making an assist. It is bad that he is not being given a chance at a side battling relegation.
The 23-year-old may have to go abroad to kickstart his career. He has been linked with moves to the likes of Besiktas, Strasbourg, and Porto. It is a shame that a player with so much potential may have to leave England to ensure regular game time. City fans will hope that it does not become a theme that their homegrown players will continue to be let go.
Jack Grealish
Jack Grealish is technically still a City player, but he has been on loan at Everton this season. He scored just two goals with six assists in 20 Premier League games for the Toffees before foot surgery ended his campaign.
Whilst at Aston Villa, Grealish was a big fish in a small pond at his hometown club, where he excelled. His dribbling and ability to take on a defender made him one of the most entertaining players to watch in the Premier League.
He struggled to adapt to Pep Guardiola's system, and it never really worked out. Despite this, Grealish has now won the Champions League and the Premier League three times.
There is talk that Grealish could be set for another loan move to Everton. This could be wise after his injury, as the Toffees will be reluctant to pay the £50 million fee to sign him permanently.
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