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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Harry Siddall

Manchester City loan watch: Goalkeepers continue to shine but Tommy Doyle and Alvarez sidelined

Manchester City moved six points clear at the top of the Premier League with a convincing 4-1 victory over local rivals Manchester United on Sunday.

Despite the Merseyside outfit holding a game in hand, Pep Guardiola will be delighted with the way his side have bounced back from defeat to Tottenham Hotspur just two weeks ago. Meanwhile, those out on loan continue to impress away from the Etihad.

Manchester Evening News takes a closer look at the City players plying their trade elsewhere:

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Tommy Doyle (Cardiff) : After his man-of-the-match display last week, Doyle, unfortunately, missed Cardiff’s impressive 2-1 away win against QPR through illness, with manager Steve Morison confirming he should be back in action next week.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Stoke City) : The 20-year-old continued his spell on the right of Stoke’s back five, but was unable to stop Josh Bowler from helping Blackpool secure all three points for Blackpool with just five minutes to play. The Potters remain in 15th place, still attempting to gain ground on the tight race for a playoff spot.

Finley Burns (Swansea) : After making his Manchester City debut earlier this season in the Carabao Cup, Burns was sent on loan in the hope of gaining more senior minutes. However, with the Swans winning their last two games, Russell Martin has stuck with his trusted XI and it left the youngster as an unused substitute.

Ben Knight (Crewe) : The youngster has been back at City Football Academy since the beginning of 2022 trying to recover from his long-term foot injury. However, positive news this week came in the form of his first minutes back on the training field – although it is unclear as to what role he could play at Crewe for the remainder of the campaign.

Yangel Herrera (Espanyol) : The Venezuelan is enjoying regular game time at Espanyol and played a key role in their 2-0 home win against Getafe last weekend. He was deployed, as he usually is, at the base of a two-man midfield.

Julian Alvarez (River) : The man on everybody’s lips. Unfortunately, Alvarez missed out on River Plate’s 1-0 victory against San Lorenzo on Saturday through illness, but has shown already – with his hat-trick just a month ago – just what a talent City have acquired.

Julian Alvarez has been tipped to develop and continue his goalscoring exploits at Manchester City. (Photo by Manuel Cortina/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Yan Couto (Braga) : The full-back was another player whose arrival in Manchester was met with a lot of excitement. Couto has gone on loan to Braga, where he is usually a starter, but only made a brief appearance from the bench in a 1-1 draw with Boavista last weekend.

Gavin Bazunu (Portsmouth) : A goalkeeper the Pompey manager has told reporters is destined to play Premier League football, Bazunu was in between the sticks of a side that hammered Accrington Stanley 4-0 on Saturday. Time will tell what City’s plans are for Irishman, but he’s certainly been making an impression.

Morgan Rogers (Bournemouth) : As confirmed by Scott Parker last week, Rogers has returned to the CFA to train with City after an unsuccessful loan spell was cut short.

James Trafford (Bolton Wanderers) : Another keeper with a huge personality, Trafford has been very vocal about wanting to become City number one in the near future. A fan favourite, the youngster played the full 90 minutes of Bolton’s 3-0 win away at Gillingham.

Callum Doyle (Sunderland) : Given huge praise for his on-the-ball talent, many have tipped Callum Doyle to be a huge success. He was an unused substitute for the Black Cats last weekend, however.

Issa Kabore (Troyes) : The right-back is enjoying a fruitful spell in the Troyes first-team – testing himself against some fine opposition in Ligue 1. His flying form continued this weekend, with the French outfit earning an impressive three points away at Bordeaux.

Pedro Porro (Sporting CP) : Sporting have bounced back from their 5-0 hammering at the hands of Manchester City well, and have continued to chase down Porto with a 2-0 win against Arouca on Saturday. Porro, who is normally a regular starter, was only used from the bench on this occasion.

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