Manuel Pellegrini has admitted that some of Manchester City's World Cup stars could miss the start of the new season.
Vincent Kompany, Fernandinho, Sergio Aguero, Pablo Zabaleta and Martin Demichelis all have yet to return to training this summer after reaching the latter stages of the showpiece event in Brazil earlier this month.
"The five players who arrived last Thursday, Hart, Milner, Yaya, Silva and Dzeko, I think that they will be ready for the Premier League," the Daily Mail quotes Pellegrini as saying. "We will with see the rest of the players who arrive next Monday. Can they be fit in 15 days? Maybe not all of them will do it.
"We are trying to prepare our team in the best way. We've had a very good pre-season with part of the team. We had another five players playing some minutes today. The rest of the squad arrive next week we are preparing well for the Community Shield and Premier League."
The Citizens, who get the defence of their Premier League title underway with a trip to Newcastle United, continued their pre-season preparations with a penalty-shootout defeat against Liverpool earlier today.
Daniel Lewis
