Manchester City
Training Ground
Etihad Campus, 13 Rowsley St, Manchester, M11 3FF
0161 444 1894
Academy
Etihad Campus, North Gate, 400 Ashton New Rd, Manchester, M11 4TQ
Thomas Krucken (Academy Director)
0161 225 2012
Academy info
Academy Category: One
Academy Manager: Thomas Krücken
Position in 2024/25 Academy Productivity Rankings: 5th
Under-21s Head Coach: Ben Wilkinson
Executive
Portuguese
Hugo Viana
Director of Football
Took over from Txiki Begiristain at end of 2024/25, after being allowed to leave Sporting Lisbon earlier in the campaign. Had taken over at the Portuguese club in August 2018, having started his playing career there as a teenager. From there he joined Newcastle at 19 and went on to play for Valencia, Braga, Al Ahli and Al Wasl, while winning 29 caps for Portugal. Started off-field career with a brief spell as Director of Football at Belenenses in 2017.
Coaching
Spanish
Pep Guardiola
Manager
A disciple of Johan Cruyff and a linchpin of the Barcelona’s first European Cup winning side. Graduated from La Masia to manage Barca, leading them to unprecedented levels of success, with three La Ligas, three Copa del Reys and two Champion League titles. Won three league titles with Bayern Munich, though not the Champions League. Arrived at City in the summer of 2016.
Dutch
Pepijn Lijnders
Assistant Manager
Joined City in June 2025, having worked with Jurgen Klopp for almost a decade at Liverpool. Had arrived at Anfield in 2014 and left with Klopp in the summer of 2024. His time there was broken for six months when he was in charge of Dutch side NEC Nijmegen at the start of 2018. After leaving Liverpool, spent six months in charge of Austrian side RB Salzburg. Was our guest on Episode #53 of the TGG Podcast in August 2023.
Ivorian
Kolo Toure
Assistant
Premier League winner with both Arsenal and Man City. Was U18s Assistant in 2024/25 before being promoted to first-team duties at end of season. Previously Assistant to Brendan Rodgers at Celtic and Leicester City and had a brief spell as Head Coach of Wigan Athletic.
Spanish
Xabier Mancisidor
Goalkeeping Coach
Brought to City by Manuel Pellegrini, with whom he had worked at Malaga. Former Majorca goalkeeper kept on at Etihad by Guardiola.
Spanish
Manuel Estiarte
Head of Player Support and Protocol
An unusual job title but a crucial role: Estiarte is Guardiola’s mentor and sounding board. Guardiola once said: “Managers are very, very alone. It is good for me to have him here.” The Catalan was once Spain’s finest water polo player and won gold at the 1996 Olympics.
Spanish
Lorenzo Buenaventura
Fitness Coach
Worked with Guardiola at Barcelona and Bayern. Oversees the team and individual fitness programmes. Regarded as crucial to the high-energy, fast-pressing style of the manager.
English
James French
Set Piece Coach
Left Liverpool after 13 years to join City in June 2025. At Anfield he was Opposition Analyst and he is City’s first official Set Piece Coach since Nicolas Jover left for Arsenal in July 2021. Has also worked for Swansea City and the FA of Wales.
Performance
English
Simon Timson
Performance Director
Appointed in July 2020 and is one of the most respected performance leaders in British sport. Made his name in British Skeleton, helping to turn a little-known sport into a medals factory. Subsequently worked for the ECB, UK Sport and the LTA. Heads up City Football Group’s performance department, covering S&C, sport science, nutrition and psychology.
Italian
Federico Genovesi
Director of Performance
Qualified osteopath who worked with Lazio and Palermo in his native Italy before joining City as First Team Physio in 2016. Promoted to Director of Performance in June 2025, overseeing nutrition, psychology, performance and medical.
English
Chris Elderkin
Head of Physical Performance
Joined in September 2013 from Bolton, initially working as a Sport Scientist in the Academy. Promoted to first-team duties, as Sport Scientist, in 2022 and then to current role in June 2025. Replaced Donough Holohan.
English
Simon Bitcon
Head of Strength and Conditioning
A prominent practitioner who has been with City for a decade. Has also worked with world champion boxer Carl Frampton (above, right). His brother Mark is Head of Performance Services at the City’s Academy.
Irish
Barry Hamilton
Sports Scientist
Hails from Blackrock in Dublin, where he played at a semi-pro level. Joined City from STATSports. Worked for Croatia at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
English
Jason O'Keefe
Rehabilitation Performance Coach
Worked for Everton – as an intern, Academy Sport Scientist and then First Team Sport Scientist – before joining City in January 2024.
English
Tom Parry
Nutritionist
Long-standing member of staff who has worked under managers going back to Roberto Mancini.
English
David Young
Consultant Psychologist
Has been working with City’s first team since July 2019. Also lead performance psychologist with the England and Wales Cricket Board – and worked for Wolves for four years.
Medical
Italian
Max Sala
Head of Sports Medicine
City’s long-standing team doctor. Despite the recruitment of Eduardo Mauri (below) and regular rumours about his future following Guardiola’s arrival, Sala remains. A graduate of the University of Ferrara in Italy.
Australian
Michael Giakoumis
Head of Rehabilitation
Appointed in August 2025 after almost three years as Head of Athlete Injury Management for the City Football Group. Previously worked as Reserve Team Physiotherapist for Adelaide United and Melbourne Victory, Lead Physiotherapist for Reading women’s first team and Physiotherapist for Northern Blues Australian rules football team.
Spanish
Eduardo Mauri
Doctor
Joined City last summer. Played for Espanyol before qualifying as a doctor and working for them in that capacity. Went on to Qatar national team and AS Eupen in Belgium. Another Catalan on the staff.
English
James Baldwin
Head Physio
Joined the club from Middlesbrough in March 2009, initially with the reserves. Promoted to first team in November 2010 and then took the top job in February 2019, replacing Lee Nobes.
English
Alex Owen
First Team Physio
Promoted into the role in October 2025 after nearly seven years at the club. Was previously Women’s First Team Physio, Academy Physio, Lead U18s Physio and EDS Physio. Also worked for Vauxhall Motors, Liverpool and Bury, where he spent five years as Head of Academy Sports Medicine and Science.
English
Anthony Greenhouse
Physio
Joined City in February 2008 from nearby Oldham. Promoted from Academy to first team in February 2019.
Italian
Mario Pafundi
Physio/ Sports Therapist
Joined City in October 2016, having previously worked as a sports therapist for Team Sky and British Cycling.
English
Steve Sparks
Physio
Joined from Southampton, where he had worked for the previous decade, in December 2020.
English
Thomas O'Malley
Physio
Was Head Physio at Wigan Warriors rugby league from 2017 to 2020 before joining City.
English
Nick Oakley
Physio
Was Head of Sport Science & Medicine at Crewe before joining City in January 2017 as Lead Elite Development Squad Physio. Promoted to Rehab Physio and then First-Team Physio.
Welsh
Ben Thompson
Performance Therapist
Joined City in 2007 and also worked for the Wales national team for three years.
Analysis
English
Harry Dunn
Head of Performance Analysis
Succeeded Stephen Rands (City’s former Head of Analysis) as Head of Performance Analysis at Scunthorpe, then joined him at City in September 2014. Promoted to Interim Head of Analysis when Piet Cremers left the club and then to permanent Analysis Lead.
English
Dan Payne
Performance Analyst
Performance analyst previously at Charlton Athletic, Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield Town. At Manchester City since November 2022.
Spanish
Carlos Safont Aparicio
Performance Analyst- Set Pieces
Coached in the Spanish lower leagues, starting his work in performance analysis with Shamrock Rovers in August 2022. Moved to FC
English
Ryan DeFreitas
Performance Analyst (Training)
Joined City in this new role in September 2022, having previously been Head of Academy Performance Analysis at Leicester City for nine-and-a-half years.
Spanish
Carles Planchart
Performance Analyst
Analyst worked with Guardiola at Barca B, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Says Guardiola likes to sit down with him as soon as he can after a match to analyse it on his laptop.
English
Craig Nosworthy
Opposition Analyst
Joined in July 2021 from Huddersfield Town, where he was Head of Performance Analysis.
Data Science
Scottish
Brian Prestidge
Director of Insights and Decision Technology
Heads up data science across the nine teams in the City Football Group, including Manchester City. Was promoted from Data Scientist in January 2020, replacing Lee Mooney.
English
Ravi Mistry
Head of Football Insights
Joined in June 2020 as a Football Intelligence Officer. Promoted to current role in May 2022. Previously worked for The Information Lab in London for five years.
English
Chris Baker
Talent ID Co-Ordinator
Hired from Huddersfield Town in August 2020.Responsible for co-ordinating scouting operations and integrating data into the process.
English
Maram AlBaharna
Football Insights Analyst
Worked for media company The Athletic as a data journalist before joining City in January 2023.
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