City excited by Irish trip

England goalkeeper Joe Hart is relishing Manchester City’s glamour friendly against Limerick FC at Thomond Park on Sunday week, August 5.

“All the lads at Manchester City are really looking forward to our visit to Ireland,” he said. “Pre-season is where a lot of the hard work is done so this will be a key game in our programme. Thomond Park is a really historic stadium and I’m sure the people of Limerick will give us a great greeting for the game.”

Gael Clichy, the City left-back and French international, is also looking forward to the match, as the Premier League champions intensify preparations for the defence of their title.