Manchester City have put faith in their exciting young prospect
Pep Guardiola seesplenty of potential in the young star(Image credit: Getty Images)
Pep Guardiola's reign as Manchester City boss has been undoubtedly one of the most dominant periods in English football, yielding six of the last seven Premier League titles and creating some of the most impressive squads the league has ever seen.
Despite his reputation as a big-spender, Guardiola has, in recent years at least, made a clear effort to make better use of the club's impressive academy system, often utilised effectively to get big sums of money for exciting young prospects.
The development of Phil Foden over the years has been remarkable, with Guardiola himself claiming the England international was his best youth prospect since Lionel Messi a few years ago, while 19-year-old Rice Lewis continues to stamp his authority on the first team with impressive performances at right back.
VIDEO: How Guardiola Has Invented A New Position For Rico Lewis
Manchester City set to extend youngster's stay
The latest talent from the production line is James McAtee, who featured heavily in the Community Shield win over Manchester United at Wembley, having impressed in loan spells away from the club in recent years.
The Athletic claim that McAtee, 21, will stay at the Etihad and sign a new long-term contract after the club turned down bids in excess of £30 million for the player this summer.
The midfielder, who spent the last two seasons on loan at Sheffield United, is said to be firmly in Guardiola's plans this season following the departure of Julian Alvarez, who spent most of last season in the attacking midfield role.
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McAtee has been at the club since childhood (Image credit: Getty Images)
Speaking in a recent interview, Guardiola reaffirmed his vision for McAtee as a member of the first team this season, telling reporters: “It is difficult to find players with a sense of goal in small spaces who attack the final third and McAtee has that quality."
He added: “That’s why I said to Txiki (Begiristain) at the beginning of the season that I don’t want to loan him and I don’t want to sell him because I need his specific quality in small spaces. James has this ability.”
McAtee's current deal is set to expire in 2026, suggesting a new deal has been presented as a promise of opportunities and a commitment to his development, rather than a necessity to simple retain transfer value.
McAtee will want to link up with Haaland more in the future (Image credit: Alamy)
James Ridge is a freelance journalist based in the UK. He recently spent time with The United Stand as an online news editor and has covered the beautiful game from England’s eighth tier all the way to the Premier League.
