Man City are considering a winter break in warm weather in Abu Dhabi, confirms Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola confirmed Manchester City are considering a winter break in warm weather in Abu Dhabi.

The Premier League champions scrapped the idea of ​​traveling there amid a coronavirus outbreak last January but have loose plans for a short camp for the small number of players not attending the World Cup.

City have not been to Abu Dhabi, home of Sheikh Mansour, since March 2018 – and any trip would follow almost two weeks after the game against Brentford on November 12.

Pep Guardiola confirmed that Manchester City are considering a winter break in Abu Dhabi

“To take a break with good training sessions and good weather where our owners are there maybe we will,” added the City boss.

“Maybe a few days after we got back to Brentford from 10 days off. Maybe we’ll have a few days here and then travel there, but it’s not 100 percent confirmed, but we’ll try.’

Kalvin Phillips and Kyle Walker were thought to be effectively ruled out for England but Guardiola revealed it is now ‘likely’ that both players are available for Qatar.

Manchester City stars Riyad Mahrez and Erling Haaland will not be at the World Cup in Qatar

Should the pair go through, the only older players to remain behind would be Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez and injured Erling Haaland, while the rest are expected to receive call-ups.

“From the way they’re recovering, it’s likely,” Guardiola said. “I don’t know the intent with Kyle, but the doctors know better than I do.

“Gareth (Southgate) spoke directly to the players. From what I’m hearing in the dressing room, it’s likely they can be ready. They don’t play a World Cup every week. We’ve been impressed with Kyle’s recovery, but he’s late compared to Kalvin.

Manchester City have not been to Abu Dhabi to meet owner Sheikh Mansour since March 2018

Guardiola – who could herald the changes against Sevilla in the Champions League on Wednesday night – refuses to push Phillips back after suffering a shoulder injury.

“I know how important the World Cup is, but I will not field a player who is not physically or rhythmically ready,” he said.

“My feeling at the moment is that all the games are going to be tight, with an incredible amount of games played in a short amount of time. That’s why we’ll check if he’s in the best shape to play.