Manchester’s City’s football factory is working at full capacity. The production line of top talent envisaged when the Premier League champions revolutionised their youth academy back in 2013/14 is whirring away to the benefit of manager Pep Guardiola.
It has taken eight years of diligence, hard work, trial and error, and investment but the dividends are now there for all to see with almost £50 million ($60m) already added to the balance sheet this summer with the promise of more to come.
When City were purchased in 2008 by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, through the Abu Dhabi United Group, he set out his vision for the future pledging to bring success on the field and to nurture young talent.
The plan was based on youth development and sustainability, to educate talented young footballers on and off the pitch and to do so in a facility supported by the best coaches and coaching programmes.