There was a telling pause ahead of Manchester City's first game of the season when Pep Guardiola was asked if the squad at his disposal was big enough to challenge on all fronts.
Yes, was the eventual answer, with the manager citing the academy and the January transfer window as options to turn to if nothing else could be sorted in summer. A week later, the club agreed a deal for Anderlecht left-back Sergio Gomez after belatedly deciding to take a punt on the young Spaniard at the Etihad.
Two weeks after that came the surprise move for Dortmund centre-back Manu Akanji after Nathan Ake's injury at Newcastle prompted Guardiola to call for more reinforcements, and suddenly the size of the squad looked healthier. The emergence of Rico Lewis has added another body in the vulnerable area of defence, giving the City hierarchy enough to believe they can lose Joao Cancelo for the rest of the season without replacing him.
