After two defeats from three games, Pep Guardiola's players headed off on international duty hoping to find some individual form which they can bring back to the club ahead of the Manchester derby.
In total Manchester City have 12 players away on international duty with players such as Rayan Ait-Nouri, Phil Foden and Josko Gvardiol unavailable for selection due to injury or fitness issues.
Belgium
Jeremy Doku played in both of his countries 6-0 wins against Liechtenstein and Kazakhstan. He scored two goals in the second qualifier, the first of which was set up by Manchester City legend Kevin De Bruyne.
Egypt
Omar Marmoush played for his country in their World Cup qualifiers. He scored a penalty in a 2-0 win over Ethiopia. But against Burkina Faso he came off just 10 minutes in after sustaining a knock to his knee. The game finished 0-0.
Initial rumours coming from Egypt suggest that the forward has suffered a knee ligament bruise and he will undergo scans on Wednesday to assess the injury properly.
England
John Stones and James Trafford were both called up to Thomas Tuchel's squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia. However, Stones pulled out of the squad last week due to a muscle issue and Trafford didn't feature in either of England's wins.
John Stones has withdrawn from the England squad as a precautionary measure ⤵️
— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 5, 2025
Italy
Transfer deadline day signing Gianluigi Donnarumma met up with the Italy squad after completing his move to the Etihad. He kept a clean sheet in their first qualifier against Estonia, making two saves and completing 100% of his passes. The Italian goalkeeper also played 90 minutes in a 5-4 win over Israel in their second game of the break.
🇮🇹 Gianluigi Donnarumma vs Estonia (5–0 win):
— City Chief (@City_Chief) September 5, 2025
👑 Italy captain
⏱️ 90 minutes
✅ 22/22 passes (100%)
🎯 2/2 long balls
🧤 2 saves
🚫 Clean sheet
Commanding performance from the Azzurri’s No.1. 🔒 pic.twitter.com/LOW7BXV2ar
Netherlands
Nathan Ake and City's Player of the Month for August, Tijjani Reijnders, were both called up to the Dutch squad for their games against Poland and Lithuania. Reijnders played 84 minutes in the 1-1 draw with Poland, while Ake was an unused substitute. They both started in the 3-2 win against Lithuania but were subbed off together in the 62 minute with the score level at 2-2.
Norway
Erling Haaland and Oscar Bobb both joined up with their national team for their qualifiers against Finland and Moldova. In the first game Haaland played just 45 minutes and scored the winner from the spot in a 1-0 win. Oscar Bobb completed the full 90 minutes.
Haaland stole the headlines against Moldova, scoring five and assisting two in an 11-1 victory which almost guarantees World Cup qualification for Norway. FotMob gave him a 10.0 rating which is only the 5th time they've given a player that score. Oscar Bobb came off the bench and won a penalty in his 30 minutes.
However, Haaland did manage to pick up an unusual injury whilst on international duty.
Bus 1️⃣ ➖ 0️⃣ Haaland
— 433 (@433) September 8, 2025
Haaland needed three stitches (!) after being hit by a bus door while on international duty 🤕🇳🇴 pic.twitter.com/peZhDN4jOl
Portugal
Ruben Dias and club captain Bernardo Silva were called up for Portugal's World Cup qualifiers against Armenia and Hungary. Dias played all 90 minutes in a 5-0 win over Armenia, whilst Bernardo was an unused sub. They both completed 90 minutes against Hungary with Bernardo scoring the first and assisting the winner for former Manchester City teammate Joao Cancelo. Cristiano Ronaldo was the other Portuguese scorer.
Spain
Rodri was called up by Luis De La Fuente despite only just coming back from injury. He played for half an hour in a 3-0 win over Bulgaria and 20 minutes in a 6-0 win against Turkey, as he aims to get his match fitness and sharpness back to where it used to be before his injury.
