Manchester City squad to train in Abu Dhabi

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is reportedly planning to take his squad to Abu Dhabi for a warm-weather training camp next week.

The Citizens face AS Monaco in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League tie at the Etihad on Tuesday but are then without a competitive fixture for 11 days after their Premier League derby with Manchester United was postponed due to the Red Devils' participation in the EFL Cup final.

According to the Manchester Evening News, Guardiola intends to make the most of the break by jetting his players out for several days of training at the five-star Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi.

The newspaper says that the trip will also allow City players and staff to meet club owner Sheikh Mansour, who has only visited the Etihad once before in 2010.

Several other Premier League sides have been taking advantage of gaps between fixtures to head off for winter training camps, with City's top-four chasing rivals Liverpool spending five days in Spain this week.