87 | James McAtee - 2024/25

[ChicagoBlue]

We'll see. Time will tell, I guess. Just out of curiosity (not having a pop; not about this anyway!); in the scenario I put forward earlier, who would you leave out to accommodate James? Bernie, Phil, Kev?

Bit early for those “choices” isn’t it?

Let the lad breathe in the rarefied air of the Man City First Team squad, and get some minutes before making comparisons with the universal POTY 2023-24, one of the best players to ever play the game and Captain Belgium, and the Portuguese wizard that Captains his country, too. Two of them are in the twilight of their careers and he may just be a replacement for one of them IF he can grow from here under Pep’s tutelage…and that of the two players themselves.

He may never make it here, but today is not the day for a decision like that.

 

[Gabriel]

We’re unlikely ever to have a fully fit squad, so there will definitely be game time ahead for him. What is noticeable is that he looks comfortable playing at the international level, despite having had little domestic football to date, so I can only imagine he will improve further. He’ll ultimately gravitate to the centre of the park, but, for now, we could use his attributes more effectively on the right wing when we have Doku on the left.

 

[bobom]

Bit early for those “choices” isn’t it?

Let the lad breathe in the rarefied air of the Man City First Team squad, and get some minutes before making comparisons with the universal POTY 2023-24, one of the best players to ever play the game and Captain Belgium, and the Portuguese wizard that Captains his country, too. Two of them are in the twilight of their careers and he may just be a replacement for one of them IF he can grow from here under Pep’s tutelage…and that of the two players themselves.

He may never make it here, but today is not the day for a decision like that.

Spot on. You know, the pipeline into the first team works just fine. People forget how long Foden took to get a regular spot. He wasn't picked over Silva, or KDB, or Mahrez at first but got just a few minutes here and there for a LONG time. Rico Lewis has been slightly different. I even think Palmer would have had a breakout season for us last year had he stayed.... McAtee gets his chances every day in training - he just needs to keep showing what he can do.