ABU DHABI: Manchester City鈥檚 chairman, Khaldoon Al-Mubarak, has provided his annual review of the season to the club鈥檚 official online channel. In part 2 of the interview he reveals the team鈥檚 desire to retain the FIFA Club world Cup taking place in June and discusses the developments taking place across City Football Group. Here are some of the highlights.

On the FIFA Club World Cup鈥�

鈥淲ell, as the defending champions coming into this new format, of course, we鈥檙e very excited. We鈥檙e very excited to come in as champions. The format actually, I really like it.

鈥淭his is a very, very serious competition. I think, in the summer, the whole world will be watching this with a big number of the top teams in the world will be competing in this tournament.

鈥淚 can assure you we鈥檙e going to give it our best shot. We鈥檙e going in there to win it. This is the beginning of the new season, not the continuation of last season.

鈥淭he team will take the rest that they will take right now, and then they start pre-season and then immediately straight into the Club World Cup.鈥�

On Manchester City鈥檚 North Stand redevelopment鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 coming up very fast. It鈥檚 going to be a great addition to the campus. Once we start the new season, everybody will start physically seeing it a lot clearer.

鈥淭he hotel is also coming up nicely. It鈥檚 moving very, very fast, but we鈥檙e happy with the contractors on the ground. This is going to be a game changer. You will see over these next 12 to 18 months. This is going to be a game changer for the campus and for the club.鈥�

On NYCFC鈥�

鈥淲ell, more than the foundation, the work is fully now in full effect. Construction is happening at a fast pace. This is going to be an incredible stadium. We鈥檙e very excited about what we鈥檙e doing in New York, what we鈥檙e doing for that community in terms of a proper football stadium, with a team that now is closing in on 10 years.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a great journey. And they鈥檝e earned (it). They deserve a stadium, and finally, they鈥檙e going to get it. And we have now a line of sight of when it鈥檚 going to be finished and it鈥檒l be transformative for football fans in New York, for our fan base, and really at a time where football is booming in America.鈥�

On City Football Group鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 developed very well. We look at City Football Group as a group, but then each team individually and each team gets the attention it requires and gets a lot of attention from the whole leadership team.

鈥淭here鈥檚 individuality with each club. Depending on where they are around the world, each one has its own requirements. But overall, one of the things that gives us confidence is how many similar models now are following our CFG model.

鈥淭here are a lot of other groups now that are pursuing what we have built at City Football Group, which tells you there鈥檚 an appreciation that this is a good model and it鈥檚 a model that鈥檚 effective.鈥�