How objective journalists view City players at the WC

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Taken from the Grauniad's WC Preview:

Ahmed
As a youngster, Ahmed failed trials at Enfield Town, Cheshunt and Tooting & Mitcham. Now he’s part of a World Cup squad, and brings huge versatility to Canada’s mix. He broke through at Vancouver Whitecaps during three eye-catching years in MLS where he featured at full-back, wing-back, central midfielder and attacking midfielder before specialising as a winger – a move which helped him blossom into one of the league’s best talents, and earn a transfer to Norwich in January. Ahmed is an effective if unorthodox dribbler who likes to use body feints – a nod to his strong love for basketball. He says that life in England has added grit to his game: “Before I came into the Championship, everyone I spoke to talked about the intensity and the physicality of it and it has lived up to every single word. I think that's good for me – it's an area I want to improve.” Reflecting on his return to England, five years after that series of trials at non-league clubs, he said: “Football is crazy and every player has their own journey to get to where they are. But if you told me then that I would be back in five years playing in the Championship, I don't know if I would have believed it.”

B-Slimane
A midfield talent unlike any other in the squad, there is a widespread feeling that Ben Slimane has never truly been used to his full potential with the national team. Having represented Denmark at Under-19 level before playing for Tunisia at the 2022 World Cup, the Copenhagen-born playmaker is still waiting for that one match to fully showcase his immense talent. Absent from the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations squad, he is coming off an excellent season with Norwich despite injury setbacks: 26 matches, five goals, and six assists. The Canaries decided to make his loan move from Sheffield United permanent in January. Back in the fold internationally, Ben Slimane has more than enough in his locker to earn a place in the 26-man squad.

Córdoba’s European adventure began at the age of 19 with a move to Celta Vigo, where he played for the reserves. The defender made his name with Etar in Bulgaria and earned a move to Levski Sofia, winning the 2024 Bulgarian Cup. Norwich came calling in 2024 and the left-footed centre-back has become a mainstay with the Championship side. “Today is a day to be happy. This is a childhood dream and I’m excited for this next step in my career,” he said upon his arrival in England. Córdoba is elegant with the ball at his feet, a threat in the air and cuts out opposition attacks at source. The ‘Prince of Panama’, as he’s known at Carrow Road, already has more than 30 caps for the selección.

McLean
It is difficult to imagine McLean doing anything at this World Cup, in fact during the remainder of his career, that matches events of 18 November at Hampden Park. The Scots were bound for the tournament proper but a nation bit fingernails as McLean strode forward during a counter attack, spotted Kasper Schmeichel off his line and unleashed a shot from halfway that brought the roof off the famous old venue. McLean had topped off a night of epic drama with the goal of his life. This was just reward for one of Steve Clarke’s unsung heroes. McLean does, however, have previous for stepping up on the big occasion; he scored the winning penalties in separate matches as Scotland reached Euro 2020. An unfussy, low-maintenance midfielder held in high regard by Clarke and team-mates alike.

Touré
“If he carries on at this rate, he’ll be the greatest striker of all time.” So said one online comment after Australia’s latest next big thing announced himself to the Championship with a hat-trick on his full debut and a total of five goals in his first four appearances for Norwich. Touré was born in a Guinean refugee camp before moving to South Australia at a young age, and he counts two brothers - Al-Hasan and Musa - as fellow professional players, while his dad, uncle and sister have also played at a high level. After making his Socceroos debut at Wembley in October 2023 he said: “You have to thank your parents, the struggles they go through when you’re younger to get us to playing. Sometimes we forget where it all started and who actually put in the work from the start.” The family lived opposite a football pitch and that’s where the Touré boys spent hours honing their ball skills together. A debut for Adelaide United followed at the age of 15 before he headed to Europe, where his continued development first attracted the interest of Tony Popovic.


Also former Canaries:
Gunn McJr
Gunn took the unusual step of publicly admitting he may have made a transfer mistake, having joined Forest on a one-year deal from Norwich City last summer. By the time Gunn reached the October international camp, he was yet to play any club football. “I went into a situation at the club where I thought I'd be getting, obviously not regular game time, but some game time in terms of cups and things like that," he said. “It's not really materialised, which I'm disappointed about.” Gunn’s first domestic action of the season came from the bench on 1 February. Gunn has, though, routinely performed well for Scotland despite his club inaction. Gunn’s father is the Norwich City legend and former Scotland custodian Bryan Gunn. Earlier in his career, there was a theory Angus had eyes on the England squad. “His name is Angus Fraser James Gunn – he was always destined to play for Scotland,” insisted Bryan.

Hanley
Doubts were raised about Hanley’s World Cup involvement after he missed March’s friendlies when recovering from injury. Yet the centre-half has been a regular under Steve Clarke and has rarely let his country down: he started two of Scotland’s three games in Euro 2024. Hanley was central to a rumpus early in the last campaign. Motherwell’s manager Jens Berthel Askou was accused of disrespect towards the veteran after Hibs were defeated 2-0 in Lanarkshire. Askou said Motherwell prevailed after “cutting off their supply from their midfielders leaving Hanley to bring the ball forward.” Cue suggestions Askou had needlessly highlighted Hanley’s shortcomings.

Fassnacht
The biggest surprise in Murat Yakin’s squad. Last autumn, Fassnacht returned to the national setup after a two-and-a-half-year absence but was again missing from the squad this March. With 18 goals, he was the top scorer in the Swiss Super League in 2025-26 and he is a true team player. “The statistics don’t lie; he knows where the goal is,” said Yakin. Fassnacht’s finest hour came in the Euro 2020 Last 16, when he won possession for both Switzerland’s late goals in a 3-3 draw with France before victory on penalties. The striker was once dropped from the Zurich youth team, forcing him to spend several years in amateur football before making the leap to the top flight via Winterthur, Thun and then Young Boys. In Bern, he has since become a legend. His spell abroad at Norwich was not a success, so he returned in 2025 after a year and a half.


Kabak
"I've learned something from every league I've played in," says Kabak and it is that breadth of knowledge that makes the central defender such a vital asset for the Turkey national team coach, Vincenzo Montella. Having joined Galatasaray at a young age, he moved to Germany and Stuttgart at the age of 18 in 2019. He has also played in the Premier League for Liverpool and in the Championship with Norwich. After initially struggling under Jürgen Klopp during a loan spell in 2021 during an injury crisis he became a fan favourite and even had a song dedicated to him. Sung to the tune of the video game Tetris it went like this: “He’s Ozan. He’s Ozan. He’s Ozan Kabak. Ozan Kabak. Well, he plays centre-back. Well, he plays centre-back for Liverpool.” He speaks four languages and has filled in as the team's unofficial translator. On the pitch he brings tactical intelligence to the defensive unit and is known for his physical bravery and ability to read the game.

Posted By: Henclrikus, Jun 4, 18:21:04