Mark Hughes will head for Germany next week with some of City's senior squad as training gets underway for the Barclays Premier League campaign that is now just six weeks away.

New striker signing Roque Santa Cruz is already hard at work, and Stevie Ireland probably never stopped as he follows his own rigorous - and highly successful - summer regime that incorporates martial arts to stay fit.

Some of their international team-mates, such as England midfielder Gareth Barry, will miss out on the joys of the manager’s Bavarian training camp, of course.

Robinho and Elano need a break after helping Brazil to the Confederations Cup in South Africa last week, Micah Richards and Nedum Onuoha deserve a free pass after their England Under-21 European Championship campaign.

Those who do make the trip will finish a tough week with a training game against Munich 1860 on July 11. Your new-look website will be there to keep fans up to date on the build-up to an exciting season.