Despite our close defeat to Liverpool on Sunday, there’s still plenty of love that has caught our eye, and here are the best bits…
Birthdays!
First up, birthdays! Pep Guardiola celebrated his birthday at the CFA on Thursday as his side gear up for Saturday’s clash against Newcastle.
Not only has it been the boss’ birthday… but also Sterling’s! No, not Raheem, but his mini-me: Thiago.
Our No.7 shared a very cute picture of his son and wished him a happy first birthday on his Twitter account!
Happy first birthday, Thiago one whole year watching you grow, but also helping me grow as a person and as a father❤️❤️❤️!!! #Unruly #ThiagoRomeo #1 @paigemilian pic.twitter.com/wx2miKCsdv
— Raheem Sterling (@sterling7) January 16, 2018
Loanee success
Next, we turn our attention to our City stars on loan around the country, as two in particular caught our attention this week.
Bersant Celina, who is currently on loan with Ipswich Town wowed crowds at Portman Road last weekend after he scored an absolute cracker of a goal against Leeds United in their Championship clash.
Celina curled the ball over Leeds ‘keeper Felix Wiedwald from 30 yards in the 67th minute to secure Mick McCarthy’s side the three points.
The 21-year-old’s strike marked his eighth goal of the season for Ipswich, and Channel 5 Sport tweeted our loanee’s impressive strike…
WOW!!!!! @ManCity loanee @BersantCelina‘s run and excellent finish sends @Official_ITFC fans wild in a tense game against @LUFC. #ITFC
— Channel 5 Sport (@Channel5Sport) January 13, 2018
➡️ @EFL highlights from 9pm on @channel5_tv. pic.twitter.com/6tSpCNP2KW
And he was even voted as Sky Sports’ goal of the day winner!
Congratulations @BersantCelina who is our Goal of the Day winner! 👏🏻🔥 https://t.co/GK2xUNtgGW
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) January 13, 2018
Ipswich’s rivals, Norwich City, were also in action and Manchester City’s on loan goalkeeper Angus Gunn started his 27th Championship match of the season for the Canaries.
Gunn helped his loan side to keep a clean sheet against Bristol City at Ashton Gate, and Norwich shared a video of what they called a “ludicrous save” from the match…
Tense to watch, but fantastic work from Angus!
🎥 We’re not convinced the cameras were expecting that ludicrous save, @AngusGunn01! 👏👏👏 #ncfc
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) January 14, 2018
Marks out of 1️⃣0️⃣, @MrGunny1963? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/ZYxX6cJmeM
Hollywood stars
We travel over to America now, as our January signing Nadia Nadim has been rubbing shoulders with the stars in LA on her recent training trip with her Danish national team.
Nadim has been a fantastic addition to the club both on and off the pitch since joining and scored two goals in two appearances, including a strike just six minutes into her City debut!
The forward recently shared a picture on her Instagram profile and looks keen to get her name on the Hollywood walk of fame!
More club love
Two more players committed to the club this week, and they couldn’t be more delighted!
Left-back Demi Stokes signed a new three year deal with City at the end of last week, and shared her excitement on Instagram.
Speaking to ManCity.com, the defender said: “It’s nice to be rewarded for all my hard work and move in the right direction as it’s exactly where I want to be as a player and the type of club I want to play for.
“Personally, I’m over the moon and I don’t take this lightly – I know there are probably a million girls who would want to be here playing football for this club so it’s very special for me.”
Elsewhere in the club, Nicolas Otamendi recently extended his deal to 2022!
And we loved the General’s message on Twitter…
⚽️The General at your service⚽️ @ManCity - 📷@victoriahaydn pic.twitter.com/blp9ALrcVl
— Nicolas Otamendi (@Notamendi30) January 17, 2018