Liam Delap can get Champions League breakthrough and strike lethal Man City alliance in key year

After enduring a year of persistent injuries and frustraion, things are looking up for Manchester City youngster Liam Delap on his 19th birthday.

The highly rated teenage striker made his return to Pep Guardiola's side after over a year away, making a 15-minute cameo appearance in City's 4-1 win over Fulham in the FA Cup on Saturday.

It was an encouraging - albeit short - outing for Delap, who looked right at home tussling with the Fulham defenders and making intelligent runs inside the penalty area. He might've marked his return with a goal, but strayed marginally offside when heading home.

Delap will now be looking to kick on, and here's what we want to see from him over what will be an important next 12 months.

Champions League breakthrough

As we have seen with the rise of Cole Palmer this season, the Champions League is a great stage for academy talents to earn first-team minutes.

Back in October Palmer scored a fantastic goal on his European debut in a 5-1 win at Club Brugge, before making a brief appearance a few weeks later.

While he has played more minutes in the Premier League - largely thanks to the 87 he played against Everton - the Champions League group stages can throw up 'weaker' opponents against whom Guardiola is more willing to experiment with his team selections.

The chances are that Delap won't feature during the knock-out stages of this year's competition, but making a splash in the group stage next season should definitely be a target.

Building bridges

Delap and fellow City youngster James McAtee forged a formidable partnership for the City U23s last season, notching 52 goal contributions between them to help their side win the title.

The pair came on together against Fulham and linked up well on a