The Chosen Ones

Roberto Mancini has named his 25-man squad that all City fans hope will make a serious assault on the Premier League’s top four.

Following Craig Bellamy’s loan move to Cardiff and the club successfully off loading misfit Robinho to AC Milan, Mancini gave a place in the squad to injury prone striker Roque Santa Cruz and Brazilian Jo was also named alongside Carlos Tevez and Emmanuel Adebayor in City’s strike force. New boy Mario Balotelli is under 21 and did not have to feature in the named squad but is still available for selection,

Michael Johnson was possibly a surprise inclusion in midfield while Shaleum Logan is also included in defence. Youngster Dedryk Boyata, who scored his first goal for the club against Timisoara, is another player who is still eligible for selection due to the under 21 rule.

Shay Given is named along with Joe Hart and Stuart Taylor and the blues have a strong young contingent represented in the squad, including a significant number of players that qualify as homegrown.

City’s Premier League Squad 2010/11 Season

Keepers:            Joe Hart, Shay Given, Stuart Taylor

Defenders:      Micah Richards, Kolo Toure, Jerome Boateng,                Joleon Lescott, Wayne Bridge, Aleksander Kolarov, Shaleum Logan, Pablo Zabaleta, Vincent Kompany

Midfielders:   Nigel de Jong, Yaya Toure, Gareth Barry, James Milner, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Adam Johnson, Michael Johnson, David Silva, Patrick Vieira

Strikers:         Carlos Tevez, Roque Santa Cruz, Jo, Emmanuel Adebayor

The named squad is for Premier League games only and does not affect FA and League Cup competitions.