Young footballers from Abu Dhabi have returned home following a week's training from coaches at Manchester City Football Club.
The 16 players selected from youth teams in the city spent a week training and residing at the Etihad Campus where Pep Guardiola works with his first-team squad.
They were joined by three players from City Football Schools – Manchester City’s youth programme in the UAE.
The trip provided the youngsters a wide-ranging experience that included 12 hours of coaching and two competitive games, with one of those against a Manchester City academy team.
They also watched the Premier League champions beat Brighton & Hove Albion 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium before the recent international break and were given a tour of the club's facilities.
Talal Al Hashimi, Abu Dhabi Sports Council’s director of technical affairs, said: “The agreement is a cornerstone of our plans to upgrade the Abu Dhabi football system, which includes players, coaches and executive staff, through Manchester City”.
“We are dedicated in providing advanced programmes to support Abu Dhabi clubs with the experiences and advanced practices that contribute to the development of the football sector.
“The agreement with Manchester City is an important addition for us as our global partners, and is an integrated plan of action to achieve a wide range of goals that would lead us on achieving good results.”
