Manchester City have seen another international break come and go in the middle of their 2024/25 season.
Similarly to the September break, a significant number of players from City’s first-team squad were selected by their countries to feature in the latest round of Nations League fixtures.
Now that the October break has ended, let’s take a look at some of the winners and losers from Pep Guardiola’s ranks and how they fared for their national sides over the past week.
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Jack Grealish – winner
After scoring against Ireland in last month’s break, Jack Grealish followed that up by finding the back of the net in England’s 3-1 win over Finland.
Even though Danny Murphy recently claimed Grealish won’t be a regular starter for England, the winger has shown how effective he can be.
This, therefore will hopefully be shown when he gets back into action for City as they look to pick up a fifth consecutive Premier League trophy.
Manuel Akanji – loser
Completing the full 90 minutes in Switzerland’s matches against Serbia and Denmark, Manuel Akanji saw his side concede four goals across those two matches and pick up just one point.
While these results can’t be solely put down to Akanji, he hasn’t come out of this latest break in a great light despite being a regular figure in the City team so far this season.
Ruben Dias – winner
Having played the full 90 minutes in Portugal’s 3-1 win over Poland, Ruben Dias then did the same in the recent 0-0 draw against Scotland.
Even though his side failed to win, the City star showed off his defensive talents by making two clearances, two tackles, one interception and blocked one shot to help keep a clean sheet for Portugal.
With City only keeping one clean sheet in the Premier League this season, they will need to see Dias keep showing this sort of defensive prowess once the campaign resumes.
Phil Foden – loser
In England’s 2-1 defeat to Greece, Phil Foden started alongside Jude Bellingham and Cole Palmer but was unable to have any sort of impact on the game.
Specifically, the 24-year-old didn’t register any key passes or shots at goal before being subbed off in the 72nd minute.
In fact Paul Robinson claimed Foden and Bellingham kept getting in each other’s way throughout the game.
Foden then lost his place in the starting XI for the win against Finland and only came on in the second half for a 10-minute cameo, having just eight touches and losing possession twice.
James McAtee – winner
Even though he’s yet to be given a chance in the senior England setup as Rico Lewis has, James McAtee shone for the Three Lions’ U21 side as they secured victories against Ukraine and Azerbaijan’s U21 teams.
Starting and completing the full 90 minutes in both matches, the midfield bagged one goal against Ukraine and then two against Azerbaijan.
