Pep Guardiola isn't in the business of handing out opportunities to youngsters just because it's good for brand image and the club's academy.
To have a chance under one of the best managers of all time, you have to be extremely talented, and even then, it is not always enough if the personality doesn't match it.
It is a tiring and completely inaccurate cliche that Guardiola doesn't develop young talent. He has a track record of doing just that and winning at the same time, but instead of looking to boost his homegrown hit rate, he instead does what is right for the greater good of his club.
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This ruthless approach is required to maintain the high standards he has set during his time in charge at the Etihad, and it is also why there is such excitement whenever a youngster reaches the fringes of the first-team.
To have even gotten this far proves how good they must be, though to make the enormous leap to senior stardom, they must be fortunate enough to get a chance, and mature enough to take it.
Guardiola has opted against including too many youngsters in his pre-season tour squad, with only James McAtee and Oscar Bobb to go with the more established Maximo Perrone, Cole Palmer and Sergio Gomez.
City are planning to be without Palmer next season but are not willing to consider selling him, while they have already knocked back serious offers for McAtee ahead of a possible first-team role.
Then there is Oscar Bobb, who is just as highly-rated as his young counterparts, but who is still eagerly awaiting his an opportunity to prove himself at senior level.
The 19-year-old has been named City's under-21 player of the year for the last
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