EDIT - im aware that this isn't really about City in general and about a very serious wider point about clubs and academies - my post below is just an aside to the point.
Interesting this and the assertion that most will drop out, that we have positive bias (which i think is a fair presumption)
I decided to look into it and grab a whole load of players that were around City's academy teams (18s and EDS) in 2013/14/15 and see how this has faired and what they’re up to. My initial guess was that on the contrary most would be still in footballer and a fair few doing quite well. I think that’s a fair conclusion too looking at the evidence. I may have missed some btw so sorry if so.
In general while i do agree that most kids drop out of football, I think it’s fair to say thats nowhere near as common if you’re coming through City’s academy. We simply have the cream of the crop in most cases so most of our lads will usually have a decent lower league career and i think these lists prove it. Maybe not if you're at Bury though and drop out of an academy, or even a Coventry.
Not many have fully disappeared and i think it’s fair to say that most of the current u18s/EDS will have a decent shot of it all too. I struggle to see why the likes of Sancho, Francis, Muric, Smith, Gonzalez, Brahim etc won’t all be playing football professionally for a long time. Even the lesser talents will do okay like Bolton, Wilson etc. I think a lot of the lads out on loan will have solid careers in football too and some will do v well as well.
Anyway - here are the lists. Grouped them into categories so its a little clearer to judge their respective developments.
Left City - playing at a respectable level
Jack Byrne - Oldham
Ntcham - Celtic
myles beerman - rangers
david brooks - Sheffield united
Kelechi - Leicester
James Horsfield - NAC Breda
George Glendon - Fleetwood
George Evans - Reading
Devante Cole - Fleetwood
Ian Lawlor - Doncaster
Jorge Intima - St. Etienne but playing on loan in 1st tier in Portugal
Keston Davies - Yeovil, on loan from Swansea
Jordi Hiwula - Fleetwood
Albert Rusnak - Real Salt Lake in MLS
Jose Pozo - Almeria in Spanish 2nd tier
Denis Suarez - Barcelona
Marcos Lopes - Monaco
Rekik - Marseille
Left City - player at a low level (could work way up, could go down, who knows?)
tom holland - TNS in wales
deri corfe - playing in america at a 4th tier level, won MVP in his league last year though tbf to him
james hardy - arc fylde - fifth tier, though he is their best player apparently
Billy O’Brien - Macclesfield
Adam Drury - Grimbsy Borough - 8th tier, their best player though apparently once again
Left City - in someone’s academy side
Ellis Plummer - Motherwell, though only one app.
boadu - dortmund’s b-team - no idea how that’ll turn out
martin samuelson - west ham’s u23s (though did well on loan last year)
Albinson - Blackburn - signed a pro contract
Zack Faour - IK Sirius in Sweden, seems destined for nowt
emanuel vasi - timisoara in romania, another drifting to nowt
Joe Nuttall - made his blackburn debut this season.
On loan from City - i’d wager 90% at least of these will play pro football until their 30s though. Some at the top one day.
Haug - girona’s second team loan
Kean Bryan - Oldham loan, playing
angelino - NAC, playing
maffeo - girona, playing
kongolo - doncaster, playing
ernest agyiri - valarenga in norway, playing
bersant celina - loan at ipswich, playing
Angus Gunn - Norwich, playing
brandon barker - hibernian loan, playing
aaron nemane - rangers loan, couple of sub appearances
paolo fernandes - NAC, playing
Isaac Buckley - Twente loan, not featured
manu garcia - NAC, playing
Ambrose - NAC, playing
Smith-Brown - dundee
Still in the EDS playing
Grimshaw
Adarabioyo (kinda, though 1st team squad)
Humphreys
Charlie Oliver
sadou diallo
javairo dilrosun
At City but strangely silent -
Will Patching - injuries?
Marcus Wood - no involvement last year and none this year yet. Seem him at the etihad though. Injuries?
Shay Facey - poor loan last year, in limbo.
Sinan Bytiqi - only not playing due to serious heart problems sadly
The ones who have vanished:
oseni - loads of injuries, disappeared after leaving city
wassi - disappeared years ago
sam tattum - was at stalybridge celtic last season, probs about to vanish
josh murray - was at bury ages ago, no idea now
callum bullock - disappeared, was on loan at Blackpool’s u23s last year
Sadiq El-Fitori - Al Ahly via United, weirdly.
Vasi - was at timisaori in romania, no idea now.