Reason why Swansea City, Bournemouth, QPR and Huddersfield Town all failed to recruit 19-year-old emerges

The midfielder has been a regular for City’s Under-23s team, thriving in Premier League 2 with eight goals and ten assists in 23 appearances in the competition last term and proving to be one of the club’s most exciting youngsters.

He has managed to carry last season’s form into the 2021/22 campaign, scoring 14 times and registering an impressive seven assists in 15 displays in the youth league, a record that earned him his maiden senior appearance in the top-flight back in November.

Although he has failed to win more minutes in the top tier since then, he has been on Guardiola’s bench for the Citizens’ last three league games and had been linked with a loan move away to win more senior minutes.

Second-tier sides AFC Bournemouth, Huddersfield Town, Queens Park Rangers and Swansea City all launched loan enquires in a bid to lure him away from the Etihad – and they weren’t the only clubs to formally approach the Premier League giants with teams from around Europe and reigning Scottish Premiership champions Rangers also previously hopeful of recruiting him.

However, both the player and City came to an agreement that he would be better off remaining where he is now, with current England international Phil Foden thriving without going out on loan and another promising midfielder in Cole Palmer staying put.

It remains to be seen whether the Championship quartet have missed out on McAtee for the long term now, with the teenager slowly starting to become a more regular part of Guardiola’s first-team squad.

The Verdict:

The teenager could have received much more playing time if he had taken the step down to the Championship – but a move away wouldn’t have been guaranteed to work out with no certainty he would be starting every