Manchester City have already been instructed to take their strongest squad to the USA for the FIFA Club World Cup this summer. Pep Guardiola reacted angrily to that directive, telling FIFA that he will decide who plays for his team. City are undoubtedly heading to the US to win and defend their World Champion status. There will be commercial opportunities too, but this is first and foremost a trophy to win. And the maximum £97m prize on offer for the winner will also help. But while the Club World Cup is a huge opportunity, it's also a disrupter. It lands slap in between the current season and the next, meaning Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan will be out of contract somewhere between the group stage and last-16. FIFA have already introduced rules allowing clubs to offer temporary two-week extensions to players in that situation, while they also allowed for a transfer window to open before the tournament for new players to arrive technically before the start of the new season. This week, the Premier League have confirmed that a ten-day window will open from June 1-10 to allow City and fellow English representatives Chelsea to make any additions they want, while other top flight clubs could also do business in that period before the summer window officially opens on June 16. In theory, City could therefore make a signing and include that player in their World Cup squad rather than wait for the new season - a tempting proposition for Hugo Viana when he officially takes over as Sporting Director. After that, any new signings will have to wait until after the tournament, with a Club World Cup squad set to be submitted before the opening match. In the 2023 edition, clubs could name 23 players in their final squad, of which three must be goalkeepers, with injury replacements allowed until 24 hours before a club's first match. That tournament was much smaller however, with just seven teams. So maybe FIFA will follow their 2022 World Cup rules and allow squads of 26. If there is a 23-player limit, City can easily fill that assuming De Bruyne and Gundogan are included, however it would mean players like Vitor Reis, Nico O'Reilly, Oscar Bobb, Claudio Echeverri and James McAtee could miss out. If the limit is 26, those youngsters could be included - but some would still have to be left at home and there wouldn't be any new signings. One solution is to allow McAtee, for example, to play for England under-21s at the UEFA U21 European Championships which take place at the same time. Rico Lewis is eligible for that tournament, too, but it would leave City short of right-backs unless they were to sign one and throw that player straight in. City could also leave someone like Rodri out, who wants to be back for the tournament but if there is not room and he wouldn't be playing a regular part, maybe it is better to let him prepare fully for the new season. The same goes for someone like Nathan Ake who has undergone surgery recently, even if he hopes to be back for the end of the campaign. Another option is to be ruthless with someone like De Bruyne, especially if the decision is taken not to extend his contract. If he isn't staying for next season and City want to add any possible new face, there could be a difficult call to make over whether he gets one last shot at a trophy with the Blues. All of this is speculation and hypothetical, of course. However City currently have 28 players they would likely take to the US if the tournament started tomorrow (before accounting for any academy players or signings) - and almost certainly fewer spots in their permitted squad. Potential 23-man squad for Club World Cup: Ederson, Ortega, Carson; Ake, Akanji, Dias, Stones, Khusanov, Lewis, Gvardiol; Rodri, Kovacic, Gonzalez, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Nunes; Savinho, Doku, Marmoush, Foden, Grealish, Haaland. Other players: Reis, O'Reilly, McAtee, Bobb, Echeverri.