A new era is imminent at Manchester City as Hugo Viana officially departs Sporting CP | OneFootball

Manchester City used the January transfer window to kickstart the rebuild of their squad. The signings of Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzàlez, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis signal City’s intention to build their next era of dominance. Off the pitch, City are also set to embark on a new era. Txiki Begiristain is set to step down as Manchester City’s director of football after the FIFA Club World Cup. He will be replaced by Hugo Viana. Viana has now departed his role with Sporting CP which indicates that a new era at Manchester City is almost upon us.

Sporting CP announced that Hugo Viana has left the club earlier today. Viana was set to finish up with the Portuguese giants at the end of this season. But his departure has now been brought forward as per the statement released by Sporting CP.

A new era is set to get underway at Manchester City under Hugo Viana. Viana’s work at Sporting is impressive and it earned him the role as Manchester City’s next director of football. But it does appear that Viana has already begun his work with the world champions. A report from Sam Lee for the Athletic indicates the City’s incoming director of football was heavily involved in City’s recent signings. Viana had a major role to play in City’s signing of Vitor Reis as per Sam Lee’s report. Furthermore, Lee reports that Abdukodir Khusanov was also on Hugo Viana’s shortlist at Sporting.

In a down season for Manchester City, their upcoming rebuild is an exciting proposition.

The need for Manchester City to begin their rebuild has been apparent for some time. From the moment Rodri went down with an ACL injury in September it was clear that Pep Guardiola’s squad just couldn’t match the standards we have previously seen them reach. That isn’t a knock on the Manchester City players it’s just the reality of the situation. Pep Guardiola’s squad has a plethora of ageing players in their ranks and they do need to be replaced. That process begun in the January transfer window and looks set to continue next summer. It is also obvious that Hugo Viana has already played a key role in the beginning of this process.

What the January transfer window shows, coupled with Hugo Viana’s imminent arrival at the Etihad, is that a new era is coming to Manchester City. In a season where City have been well below their best, that is an exciting proposition to consider.