Portsmouth favourite and Cardiff-linked midfielder left out of Manchester City squad for USA pre-season tour

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Alex Robertson has been omitted from Manchester City’s squad for their pre-season trip to the USA.

The midfielder, who has been heavily linked with a return to Fratton Park this summer following a successful loan stint, has not been included in the Premier League champions’ 27-man touring party for their Stateside visit that includes glamour friendlies against Celtic, AC Milan, Barcelona and Chelsea.

The 21-year-old misses out while fellow youngsters Maximo Perrone, Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, Jadel Katongo, Tom Galvez and Nico O’Reilly are among those handed coveted spots on the plane that is due to fly out today.

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They’ll join the likes of Erling Haaland, Jack Grealish, Oscar Bobb, Ederson and Rico Lewis in Pepe Guardiola’s travelling party as City jet off without many of the players they had involved in the recent European Championships and Copa America.

Robertson has a year remaining on his Etihad contract and has been pictured working out with his City team-mates since their return to pre-season training. It comes as he continues his rehab from hamstring surgery that cut short his Pompey loan in January.

His omission will come as a blow, though, and could indicate another move away from City - either on loan or in a permanent move.

Pompey have never hidden their desire to see the midfielder return to Fratton Park. However, competition has emerged in the form of Championship rivals Cardiff in recent days.

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Speaking to The News last week, sporting director Rich Hughes said: ‘Robbo is a conversation we’ve been having all the way through with Manchester City. First and foremost, we have to completely respect he’s their player, he’s going into the last year of his contract, so there are a few different scenarios in play.

‘Probably the thing which has slowed it down is he has been rehabbing from his injury, so is probably going to be a little behind in pre-season. He has to make sure he is right physically.

‘Then the conversations will be had with Manchester City in terms of his future pathway - whether that be at Manchester City or another location.

‘I very much know that Robbo enjoyed his time at the football club and we very much enjoyed having Robbo, which is a very good starting point.

‘But it's still very early in the window, so it’s difficult to really have a definitive answer on it.’

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