The Man City kids hoping to impress Guardiola during pre-season in Asia

Manchester City go into the new season aiming to retain the Premier League title for a third consecutive season.

More success is expected and the demands on Pep Guardiola and his players will rise again.

As with the pre-seasons that have gone before, Guardiola has included a number of youngsters in his 27-man squad that is currently touring Asia.

Here, Sportsmail takes a closer look at those who will be aiming to impress the City boss and make a case for a place in the first-team squad this term.

Daniel Grimshaw

21, goalkeeper

Grimshaw is Manchester-born and a big City fan. Now 21, he has been part of Guardiola's first-team before but doesn't get a look in past Ederson and Claudio Bravo.

He was promoted from the youth set-up two seasons ago after catching Guardiola's eye with some key performances for the Elite Development Squad and Under-19 side.

He appeared 15 times last season and made a huge impact in their run to UEFA Youth League semi-finals.

He has also played three times for City in the EFL Trophy.

Grimshaw has been able to watch Ederson at close quarters and is now more aware of what Guardiola requires from his goalkeepers.

The pre-season tour of Asia will be another chance for him to show Guardiola that he is capable of fitting into his first-team squad.

Lukas Nmecha

20, forward

A player with plenty to build on this summer. Last season was a productive one for Nmecha, who was loaned out to Preston North End in the Championship.

He made 41 appearances in the second tier but only scored three goals. He has developed physically and is now considered more of a threat through the centre of an attack as opposed to the flanks.

He is likely to again go out on loan this season but there will be no harm in him learning even more from Guardiola while away on pre-season.

Nabil Touaizi

18, forward

Signed from Valencia when he was 15, Touaizi is now getting to an age where his workload is changing as he attempts to develop his game further.

Valencia will be owed £2million once he makes his first senior appearance for City. That might still be some way off with Touaizi having only played 13 times in the U18 Premier League, but the first team is the aim.

He is one unlikely to go out on loan given the stage of his development and Guardiola is keen to monitor his progress more closely. The 18-year-old will be looking to do all he can to catch the eye of his manager in Asia.

Gavin Bazunu

17, goalkeeper

Another youngster who City snatched with a view to developing for the future. He signed from Shamrock Rovers last year when he was 16 for £420,000. That is how much City were willing to invest.

Tottenham and Chelsea were also interested in signing the 16-year-old, who was already playing first team football in the League of Ireland.

He also played in the club's Europa League qualifiers. although they were knocked out by Swedish side AIK. There is no chance he will be thought of too seriously yet by Guardiola but being on the tour of Asia will give him a better insight as to what is required of a City stopper.

Tommy Doyle

17, midfielder

Doyle joined City when he was eight years old. He has spent nine years developing as a box to box midfielder who is known for his work rate and high level of stamina.

He was instrumental in reaching the FA Youth Cup final last season, scoring twice in the semi-final victory over West Brom. He is also the grandson of former City player Mike Doyle. Like many of the others his age, Doyle will be expected to absorb as much information as possible while with the first-team squad.

Doyle moves up to the under-23s this coming season which is where he will again be tasked with upping his level. He will get some exposure to men's senior football with City playing in the EFL Trophy.

Luke Bolton

19, forward

It is no surprise to see Bolton's name on the list for City's pre-season tour. After all, he was one of the standout players who went on tour in the US.

In January, he was included in the Champions League squad for the knockout stages. He tends to play as a forward or a winger but was deployed as a right back in pre-season last year against Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool.

He made 10 appearances in League One last season while on loan at Wycombe. He will again use this opportunity to get back on to Guardiola's radar and also to sharpen himself up in preparation for another loan move.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis

17, defender

The England under-17 captain who City are very excited about. He has already shared a stage with Guardiola - he was among those present when the 48-year-old was welcomed as the new City boss in 2016.

He has grown in stature since then but also in confidence. There is also a strong personal story about Harwood-Bellis's inclusion in the tour squad. His late grandad Dave had told him after he signed a three-year contract at the club: 'Do it for City, I'm proud of you.'

He is one who Guardiola may well want to look at more closely. City will want to remain cautious given how young he is but given his ability don't be surprised to see him back on the tour next summer with a strong chance of making the first-team squad proper.

Adrian Bernabe

18, midfielder

Another one who enjoyed a breakthrough campaign last term as City reached the final of the Youth Cup.

It was last summer when City persuaded Bernabe to join them from Barcelona. It goes to show just how City are viewed that they were able to lure him from the Spanish giants. Crucially, he has flourished since arriving in England.

He will be used on the tour of Asia and anyone watching City's games will want to pay close attention to the Spanish 18-year-old. He excels at beating an opponent one-on-one and providing dangerous deliveries into the box. Again, it is unlikely he will be loaned out with Guardiola wanting to keep a close eye on him.

Ian Poveda

19, midfielder

Poveda was initially on the books of Arsenal before spending two years at Barcelona's famous La Masia academy, arriving at City in 2016 via a short spell with Brentford.

Poveda's family come from Colombia but the London-born player has represented England's youth teams up to under-19 standard.

He is close to Jadon Sancho, the former City player who has made a name for himself in the Bundesliga. He is quick and nimble, similar to Sancho. Poveda is now of the age where he is training more and more with the first team, has played in the League Cup but hasn't yet been able to further establish himself.

Ben Knight

17, midfielder

Another player who City invested heavily in from the start. Knight cost them £1million from Ipswich - twice what they forked out for Jadon Sancho.

In a recent interview with Manchester Evening News, Knight said that he wants to 'jump stages' to reach the top level of the game. He isn't shy but he does possess a great deal of self awareness.

'The quality of players I'm playing with is so much better,' he said. 'It's harder because at Ipswich I was one of the big players but there are so many big players you have to up it even more to stand out.'

It's that attitude that City want him to have. They want him to compete against the others. As with many of the others listed here, Knight will see this summer as a learning curve before applying what he has learned when he returns to the development squad.

Alpha Dionkou

17, midfielder

City may rely heavily on a director of football driven approach when it comes to recruitment, but Guardiola made it clear early into his tenure that he wanted Dionkou.

He is an all-action right-back who was born in Senegal but represents Spain at under-17 level. City saw off strong competition from Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid to sign Dionkou from Real Mallorca at the age of 15 back in 2017.

Pre-season in Asia for him will be about learning from players such as new signing Rodri while getting a feel for what it is like to be coached by Guardiola.