Four to watch: the young stars who could feature for Man City this season

Pep Guardiola has become renowned for developing young talent throughout his managerial career and his extended stint at Manchester City has been no exception.

With the club’s youth teams faring so well over recent years, there is plenty of optimism that City could develop some of the abundant talent in their underage squads into top-quality Premier League stars.

With that in mind, we’ve chosen four impressive youngsters who could play a role for Guardiola’s side this season.

Cole Palmer

The midfielder has actually featured already for the first team this campaign and made his senior debut last term.

At 6ft 3in, Palmer offers a physical option in the offensive areas and was recently called up to the England Under-21s squad.

The 19-year-old from Wythenshawe featured heavily in the club’s pre-season fixtures and can operate behind the striker or out wide.

James McAtee

The youngster has already scored six in three Premier League 2 games this season, including a hat-trick against Manchester United’s underage side.

Youth coach Brian Barry-Murphy recently said of McAtee: “James’s attitude to these games has been spot on but I think we can push him even harder.

“I think there is loads of his game he can still develop, and he’ll know that as he’s a very intelligent player. But the way he’s working in sync with the rest of the team is great for me because it’s very valuable.”

Samuel Edozie

The winger featured heavily for Guardiola during pre-season and started in the Community Shield loss to Leicester City last month.

Edozie can play on either flank and joined City from Millwall in 2019.

The England youth international’s skill and rapid dribbling make him a nuisance for opposition defenders, although with all the talent out wide in the senior squad, he may have to be patient to earn first-team opportunities.

Liam Delap

Having signed a new contract with the club recently, Delap will be hoping for further chances in the senior squad.

He scored on his first-team debut against Bournemouth last season but has played less than an hour of senior football since.

Delap scored 24 in 20 as City won the Premier League 2 title in 2020/21 and will be hoping Guardiola’s lack of options up front will see him given some minutes as the season progresses.