I expected the best when I joined Man City - what I found was even better

The times are changing at Manchester City, and with a growing German feel within the walls of the City Football Academy.

When long-term academy director Jason Wilcox got an offer to be Southampton's new Sporting Director, City took their time before hiring Thomas Krucken to replace him from Stuttgart. Krucken was a former coach in the academy before embarking on his youth coaching career back in Germany.

He has a clear philosophy and quickly began changing the club's focus in youth development to finding the 'player of the future' to steal a march on rivals. In the summer, he turned to former colleague and compatriot Oliver Reiss to lead the youth team - and the early signs are positive.

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Reiss replaced Ben Wilkinson, who stepped up to the Elite Development Squad having led the under-18s to the FA Youth Cup and previously the under-18 Premier League national final.

It was a curious appointment given Reiss spent his entire coaching career at Hertha Berlin. But he has adapted to life at City like he has always been there, with the youth team currently on an eight-game winning run and second only to Manchester United in the league who boast a 100 per cent record.

In that run they have scored 42 goals, including two seven-goal returns, and the take that form into the first game of their FA Youth Cup defence on Friday night at home to Crystal Palace.

“I think as every season the fans can be excited in terms of this because as a youth team from Manchester City, the expectation is always to win this of course at the end," Reiss explained. "And