Man City to recall loan signing Whatmuff weeks early for pre-season Asia tour

Manchester City’s 18-year-old goalkeeper Oliver Whatmuff signed for Stockport County on a season-long loan on Wednesday, only to be recalled by the club within days to serve as pre-season cover ahead of their tour of South Korea.

With first-choice backup James Trafford currently on international duty with England in the United States, City needed additional goalkeeping cover before their squad reassembles in the week of July 20. Whatmuff has been identified as the solution, and is expected to travel to Asia for City’s two-week tour rather than report immediately to his new club in League One.

City are not due back from South Korea until Monday, August 10, leaving Whatmuff little time to settle at Stockport before County’s first league fixture on Saturday, August 15 — with an EFL Cup tie scheduled before that. The compressed timeline is far from ideal for a player hoping to make an immediate impression at a new club, though it is understood Stockport were aware of the arrangement when they agreed to the deal.

Whatmuff’s rapid elevation to first-team cover reflects the regard City hold for the teenager. Last season he helped Rochdale win promotion back to the Football League with a shootout victory at Wembley, a campaign that convinced Stockport manager Jimmy McNulty — who worked with him at Rochdale — to pursue the loan.

“Before working with him at my previous club, I believed he was an elite goalkeeper, and now after working with him for the season, that belief has only grown,” McNulty said. “He’s a super talent, with a blend of attributes both in and out of possession which will really help the team. But what stands out even more is his mindset. He’s a winner. His mentality is way beyond his years. That’s what excites me about him the most.”

Elsewhere in City’s goalkeeping picture, Gianluigi Donnarumma is available after Italy failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, and third-choice Marcus Bettinelli is free to travel. There is also reported interest in academy graduate Pierce Charles, who has spent the last five years at Sheffield Wednesday.