Man City are using Oscar Bobb test to assess their youngsters

"We played PSG two seasons ago and Oscar Bobb was against Xavi Simons. Now look where he is now. You see these young players and think 'who's he?' Then two years later you go 'oh!'."

It is no exaggeration to say that some of the Manchester City youngsters who walk out against Mainz in the UEFA Youth League this evening (5pm UK time) could progress to play in the Champions League for some of Europe's top clubs in the future.

As Bobb and Simons showed when they went toe-to-toe in the competition in 2021, the competition is a stage for youngsters to show their talents on the biggest stage. And they know that Europe's top Sporting Directors will be watching closely, including City's own Txiki Begiristain - who uses the competition to fully assess the best talents in the academy.

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In that clash with PSG, which under-21 head coach Barry-Murphy remembers, there were not just Champions League goalscorers and senior internationals Bobb and Simons on the teamsheet. There was England international Rico Lewis and Belgium's Romeo Lavia in the City squad as well as France's Warren Zaire-Emery for PSG. Seven others in the squad have made their senior debuts for City in the following two years.

Last season, the likes of Carlos Borges impressed for City in Europe, and he is a regular for Ajax in the Europa League and Conference League this term. In short, performing well in the Youth League can significantly enhance your career prospects and earn a big-money move (or perhaps a big-money contract at the