Pre-Season Prep Begins.

Pre-season training begins up and down the country, save those who went to Poland and Ukraine for Euro 2012 and the players who will be competing in the Olympics. The media start to crank up the rumours even more than before, fans look eagerly towards the ones circling their own Club despite knowing full well that the vast majority of them are nothing but half arsed passages to fill a gap in a tabloid newspaper.

City, especially since Sheikh Mansour took over, has been no different. Dozens of players are supposedly being lined up "according to reports" or "we understand" or "(insert paper here) has learned".

Naturally, since Van Persie has said he won't be renewing his contract the reports of his arrival have tripled. This despite even more rumours of City losing interest just 7 days ago.

A quick look online and you'll see many Arsenal fans have already turned against him. One particularly vociferous, piece of human pond scum has declared that if RVP moves to City then he "will be dead" to him. Other have dubbed him Van P€r$i€, which is really witty, don't you think?

Have you ever known a set of fans that get quite so irate at the thought of losing a player to a club that isn't even one of their local rivals? It's not as though City have paid a pittance for the players we've bought from them either.

Another persistent rumour has been the interest in our little magician from Real Madrid. Silva has said he's staying, has spoke of winning more trophies with City and even more reports suggest that City are in talks with him over extending his contract which currently runs until the end of 2014-15 season.

Only today the oracle of insider knowledge, Goal.com, has described Silva as being "tight-lipped" over their interest. I assume what he's said in the last few weeks doesn't matter then?

He's got 2 years on his contract, City don't need the money, are current champions of England and he has cemented his place in the Spanish starting 11 since moving here. I think we can safely say that David will be turning out in the sky blue of Manchester City next season.

In just over 7 days City step up their pre-season training with 3 friendlies in Austria. Hart, Lescott, Richards, Clichy, Milner, De Jong, Silva, Nasri and Balotelli returning to training at different times it would be a  good way of having a look at some of the younger players at City.

Rekik, Suarez and Guidetti (if fit enough) are nailed on to be travelling with the first team. Others such as Wabara, Rusnak, and Razak are also likely candidates to travel. On the fringes of that there may be Bunn, Helan, Cole and Henshall. All would greatly benefit from a little time in the first team even if it is just in friendlies.

Whether any of them get a decent look in this season is another matter. Hopefully they will, but the odd game here and there is no good for a young player striving to improve his own standard. And it's no good for a Club to have a player's progress stunted because they can't get sufficient game time to do so. So season-long loans for the older or more talented ones is on the cards.

If only there was a way of allowing the 18-21 year old players play regular competitive football whilst still under the umbrella of their parent club. Never mind, we have always got tradition, eh?

On that note though, the FA are piloting an U21 league this season and the had best make sure it takes off and doesn't become just another glorified reserve league. Otherwise their horrendously overdue efforts at reforming are for nothing. The potential of this idea is great, but it has to be done right, the FA and Premier League have to generate interest in it and make sure their is something substantial to play for.

So here's to the new season, and hopefully we can celebrate at the end of this as we did the last.

Twitter: @MikeWalshMCFC
Facebook: David Silva's Left Foot