Earlier today I had a look at the ages of City’s current back four and I was quite surprised:

Lee Peltier is 32 and will be 33 in December.

Aden Flint turned 30 in July.

Sean Morrison is 28 and will be 29 in January.

Joe Bennett is 29 and will be 30 in March.

Meanwhile, Sol Bamba is 34 and will be 35 in January.

I was surprised by how old Peltier, Bennett and Flint are and was even more surprised to find that Morrison is only 28 (I thought he was in his early thirties).

Given their ages, none of these players are likely to improve and there must be a good chance that several of them have already peaked. Personally, I think that’s very likely to be the case with Sean Morrison, who seems to me to be out of sorts this season. Perhaps the disappointment of last season has made a mark on him and 2017/18 was as good as he’s ever going to get. I may be wrong, but he looks like he’s struggling with both his weight and his fitness this year.

I like Lee Peltier. He seems to be a really good professional, he plays to his limitations and his form is pretty steady. However, although he’s dependable, he’s not going to get any better at 32 years of age. I’ve never liked Joe Bennett and I think he’s probably peaked. Meanwhile, Aden Flint is 30 but has never played in the Premier League or in a team that has been promoted from the Championship. There’s obviously a reason for that.

As things stand, the defensive line-up really does look average by Championship standards and none of the individuals within it appear to have any potential for improvement. That’s not to say they can’t improve as a unit, because some of the defending has been uncharacteristically poor of late. I’m sure they can do a bit better than this as a group, but can you imagine any of these guys playing in the Premier League next season?