James McAtee

[waspish]

If you think that is the case, then that is our clubs fault, not McAtees. Por management if we are allowing players to go to unsuitable clubs.
He is not good enough to get regular football with teams in the top half of the Premier league.
He probably wouldn't even get regular football at Everton or Wolves and they are hardly followers of our brand of football.

Come on you know we always take what the player wants his agent wants more than what city wants! Pep wanting to keep palmer he had 3 years left on his deal we could have made him stay but we ain't that sort of club!

 

[M16 citeh]

I think you're wrong there.
Going back to the championship was not showing any ambition or progress.
Leicester are no better than they were last year, just better than the rest of the championship.
Won yesterday with goals by Iheanacho and Vardy.
The 3 top teams from last years championship are really struggling so far.
He has taken on a challenge and it is now up to him to take that chance.
Outside of Leicester, where he could he have gone that would be seen as an improvement.

Fair points and can't say I really disagree that much I just think style wise playing under maresca would have been better for his development as a city player

 

[M16 citeh]

He's decided to test himself against PL teams and players, running riot in the 2nd tier in a team that were always going to dominate will teach him nothing new. I'll bet he's not regretting it at all.

@M16 citeh Small time? Deciding to play in the PL for a team that were always going to struggle or a team that may as well be declared champions before they've kicked off the season in Scotland? Strange comparison TBH.

Fair enough I just meant in the sense that hed rather stay in his comfort zone in somewhere that feels like home rather than push himself again that's where the comparison ends tbf

 

[Xhavenjoe]

Fair points and can't say I really disagree that much I just think style wise playing under maresca would have been better for his development as a city player

True
Maresca seems to be getting them to play better football alright

 

[Tevez City]

 

[normskih]

Fair points and can't say I really disagree that much I just think style wise playing under maresca would have been better for his development as a city player

I agree, although I’m no Leicester fan as such and yes @Xhavenjoe may be right when saying they are better than most in the Championship but I’ve seen them on at least a couple of times on the telly and they have played good football, better football than Sheffield Utd at any rate.

 

[Bournemouth Blue]

We see these prospects coming through the Academy, McAtee, Palmer etc, but are they really at the level of Phil Foden and incomers? Personally I think Palmer could have made a regular place, but we have more experienced players in that position, so a good decision to cash in. I wish him well, I think he would have preferred to stay at City, good for Chelsea, but probably would have had four starts for City at most this season, and a few goals from substitutions. I don’t blame the lad for wanting to get regular football, he was man of the match for Chelsea yesterday, but look where they are in the table.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

We see these prospects coming through the Academy, McAtee, Palmer etc, but are they really at the level of Phil Foden and incomers? Personally I think Palmer could have made a regular place, but we have more experienced players in that position, so a good decision to cash in. I wish him well, I think he would have preferred to stay at City, good for Chelsea, but probably would have had four starts for City at most this season, and a few goals from substitutions. I don’t blame the lad for wanting to get regular football, he was man of the match for Chelsea yesterday, but look where they are in the table.

There’s not many young players in world football who you can compare to foden at the same age. I think it’s almost a waste of time comparing players to him.

 

[Kippax Street 1880]

Being shot in both knees would have done more for his development as a player than going to Sheffield United this season. Whoever your agent is kid, sack the fucker!

Hope he doesn't become another Patrick Roberts.

 

[Gabriel]

November the 1st and Rico Lewis has still played more minutes than McAtee, and played full games, too. Different positions and players, granted, but I’d wager Lewis has learned more and developed more from his experience.

 

[decmancity]

Being shot in both knees would have done more for his development as a player than going to Sheffield United this season. Whoever your agent is kid, sack the fucker!

Hope he doesn't become another Patrick Roberts.

By all accounts, James pushed for this himself.

He should have gone to Leicester. Maresca would have provided him with some continuity, he would be in a dominant team in the same image as his parent club and still only just down the road from family and friends

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

By all accounts, James pushed for this himself.

He should have gone to Leicester. Maresca would have provided him with some continuity, he would be in a dominant team in the same image as his parent club and still only just down the road from family and friends

If he’d have gone to Leicester all that would have been said, was that he doesn’t have premier league experience, therefore he needs a loan to a prem side.

He was already part of a very good Sheffield United side in the championship and couldn’t get a chance, so for me this was the right loan move.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

November the 1st and Rico Lewis has still played more minutes than McAtee, and played full games, too. Different positions and players, granted, but I’d wager Lewis has learned more and developed more from his experience.

I don’t think you can compare them. Completely different positions and Mcatee would have had way more competition in his role. If he’d have stayed he wouldn’t have played.

Playing every game for Sheffield to not playing at all wouldn’t have been good for his development in my opinion.

 

[Gabriel]

I don’t think you can compare them. Completely different positions and Mcatee would have had way more competition in his role. If he’d have stayed he wouldn’t have played.

Playing every game for Sheffield to not playing at all wouldn’t have been good for his development in my opinion.

I did add caveats, clearly not enough, but I don't think we can assume that he wouldn't have played at all. I doubt any of us would have predicted that Lewis would have played 180 minutes of Champions League football.

At this stage of career, I think McAtee needed to develop his footballing brain more than his lungs, and I just worry now that his decision will now prevent him reaching his full potential.

 

[decmancity]

If he’d have gone to Leicester all that would have been said, was that he doesn’t have premier league experience, therefore he needs a loan to a prem side.

He was already part of a very good Sheffield United side in the championship and couldn’t get a chance, so for me this was the right loan move.

Being kicked from pillar to post in the Premier league is irrelevant "premier league experience" in my opinion.

 

[jamesha]

It is looking like a poor loan move at the moment. If he digs in and keeps giving his best he can take something from it though even it is just learning how to graft and work hard without any reward or recognition. That will elevate him above some of his contemporaries at United.

 

[Gabriel]

Reading the Sheffield United forum is a bit of an eye opener. It's not a happy place in the slightest and there is precious little hope that things will turn around for either them or in turn McAtee. Some point out that Sheffield United are only where they are because they haven't yet played the teams directly above them; others point out that those teams are only there because they haven't yet played Sheffield United.

 

[Xhavenjoe]

Being kicked from pillar to post in the Premier league is irrelevant "premier league experience" in my opinion

The chances are that very few of "our youngsters" can cut it in the Premier division and probably need to play a bit of championship level football for a couple of seasons.
We have 3 on loan with Premier league teams this season and none of them seem to be lighting up the place.
All 3 of these had fairly decent loan spells last season but at a lower level.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

I did add caveats, clearly not enough, but I don't think we can assume that he wouldn't have played at all. I doubt any of us would have predicted that Lewis would have played 180 minutes of Champions League football.

At this stage of career, I think McAtee needed to develop his footballing brain more than his lungs, and I just worry now that his decision will now prevent him reaching his full potential.

Fair enough mate. I don’t think he’d have played. He’d have foden, grealish, Doku, Bernardo ahead of him on the wings and I don’t think he starts in the middle.

He might have played the odd cup game, but I don’t think that’s enough. Lewis is playing in a defensive midfield role and has had less completion for his place, with stones out and Philips not fancied.

For me he’s had enough training with the first team, it’s game time he needs. He’s probably looking at Cole palmer and thinking he can develop somewhere else. Sheffield United might not be the answer, but i think others will come in for him.

 

[Gabriel]

Fair enough mate. I don’t think he’d have played. He’d have foden, grealish, Doku, Bernardo ahead of him on the wings and I don’t think he starts in the middle.

He might have played the odd cup game, but I don’t think that’s enough. Lewis is playing in a defensive midfield role and has had less completion for his place, with stones out and Philips not fancied.

For me he’s had enough training with the first team, it’s game time he needs. He’s probably looking at Cole palmer and thinking he can develop somewhere else. Sheffield United might not be the answer, but i think others will come in for him.

I agree that it's terribly difficult to predict, but quite a few of our players were injured in the opening months and other players played through injury; we also had players who had just arrived playing when they were clearly not yet up to speed. All of that makes me think McAtee might just have had more opportunities and that had he stayed he could have staked his claim this season. After all, Cole Palmer largely earned his move on the back of what he had shown he could do with us, which is another reason why McAtee's decision appears ill-judged. I do wish young players were better advised and encouraged to adopt a more far-sighted perspective when viewing their development and advised not to prioritise game time over game knowledge.