An underreported facet of the Manchester City success story over more than a decade has been the incredible development of their youth academy.
The staggering £200 million investment into what was officially termed the City Football Academy in 2014 was proof that one of the major aims of the club’s ownership was to ensure that the blue side of Manchester consistently churned out the best possible academy graduates that could go on to become first-team players.
It is safe to say that the return on investment has been more than fruitful in that respect, with Phil Foden’s rise in particular seen as one of the most revered young players in the world, becoming the perfect example of the Sky Blues’ ultimate mission.
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The Stockport-born attacker has won an astounding four Premier League titles at just 22 years of age, is already an England international regular, and is also a part of an exclusive list of players in the division’s history to be voted as the PFA Young Player of the Year for two seasons in a row.
Aside from Phil Foden, the likes of Manchester City academy's Cole Palmer and James McAtee have been given chances to impress in the first-team by Pep Guardiola.
Palmer, 20, came on leaps and bounds across the 2021/22 season, scoring three goals for the senior Manchester City side across the Champions League, the FA Cup, and the Carabao Cup, while also being handed his first Premier League start against Everton last term.
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Similarly, McAtee - who has also been raised in Stockport like Phil Foden - managed to make five senior appearances for his boyhood club during the previous campaign.
Phil Foden cited some of his teammates’ shining examples as he discussed the club’s academy that is going from strength to strength.
“You look around the Manchester City first team now and there are definitely more players who have come through the ranks. This season alone, we had Cole Palmer, James McAtee, Liam Delap in and around the first team - these guys are just three names that people will know”, he commented, as quoted by Abu Dhabi-based newspaper The National.
The ’Stockport Iniesta’ continued, “Having eight academy players line up against Wycombe (in the Carabao Cup) at the start of the season was a big moment and there’s no reason why that can’t become a more regular thing over time.”
As Khaldoon Al-Mubarak pertinently pointed out in his annual end-of-season interview, in the age group of eight to 23, Manchester City have over 200 players out of which 85% are local talents - an indication of the fact that there is so much in store from the academy for years to come.
Featured Image Credit: REUTERS / AlamyTopics: Phil Foden, Manchester City, Premier League, Football