CITY 'SENSITIVE TO THEIR FANS'

CITY do not know how lucrative or costly the Club World Cup will be for them.

- By SIMON BAJKOWSKI

However they fare in the United States over the next four weeks can only really be viewed at the end of May when they intend to be in Hungary for the Champions League final.

Pep Guardiola was never going to turn down the invitation to appear in this summer's prestigious tournament - and the club were not going to turn down the money offered - yet there is work to do to avoid it causing more physical and mental problems with overworked players who slumped last season with physical and mental issues. They know the danger, they just don’t know how well they can avoid it.

One set of early winners from the Club World Cup though could be the City fans, who have made their voices heard over the past 12 months and managed to achieve a freeze in season ticket prices and a significant reduction in matchday tickets for next season. The club deserve credit for listening to the concerns, but it is easier to listen to them with the income they know they are getting from the Club World Cup.