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Sierra Leone international Abdulai Juma Bah has been omitted from Manchester City’s 28-man squad for their pre-season tour of Asia, raising questions about the young defender’s immediate future at the club.
The 20-year-old centre-back, who spent the 2025-26 season on loan at French Ligue 1 side OGC Nice, was widely expected to join the squad for the tour to allow new manager Enzo Maresca to assess his progress. However, when the travelling party was announced, Bah was notably absent.
Manchester City have not issued an official explanation for his omission, leaving fans and pundits to speculate. There is currently no confirmation of any disciplinary issue, injury, or fallout between the player and the club.
The decision comes despite Bah’s significant development during his loan spell at Nice. The towering 6ft 5in defender made 41 appearances across all competitions for the French club, playing over 3,100 minutes during a challenging campaign that saw Nice narrowly avoid relegation via a promotion/relegation play-off.
Bah joined Manchester City from Real Valladolid in January 2025 and was immediately loaned to RC Lens, where he made 10 Ligue 1 appearances. He has earned seven caps for the Sierra Leone national team, scoring one goal.
Manchester City have a wealth of defensive options, with experienced players like Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, and Marc Guehi, as well as promising young centre-backs Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis, Max Alleyne, and Stephen Mfuni. This depth of talent means competition for places is fierce, and Bah faces an uphill battle to break into the first team.
Prior to the squad announcement, reports suggested that a further loan move was the most likely outcome for Bah this summer, with several clubs across Europe, including Championship side Southampton, having expressed interest. Manchester City sporting director Hugo Viana is said to remain a “big fan” of the defender, suggesting the club still views him as a long-term project.
The decision to leave Bah out of the tour could indicate that a loan move is already being finalised, or that Maresca has determined he would rather assess other options during pre-season.
The Blues’ pre-season campaign kicked off on August 1 against Inter Milan in Hong Kong, followed by fixtures against a K-League All-Stars XI and Atletico Madrid in South Korea.
