Axing club heroes sent a very clear message club is entering new era

WHEN the 23 City players involved in winning the Champions League for the first time in the club's history lined up to receive their medals on the Ataturk Stadium pitch in Istanbul two years ago, the future at the Etihad looked bright for almost all of them.

- By TYRONE MARSHALL

Nobody could have expected the extent of the change since that wonderful June night in 2023, when City finally got their hands on the trophy Pep Guardiola desired most, winning a historic treble in the process.

Yes, there were players in that squad closer to the end than the beginning, but having finally won the Champions League, it looked like they were set for a period of dominance, and a fourth league title in a row duly followed.

But the end for that team has come quickly, and City's ruthless axing of some of the heroes of that season has highlighted very clearly that this is a new era now, with Guardiola one of the few constants remaining.