Six Man City youngsters who can give Pep Guardiola decision next season

Manchester City's academy is currently enjoying a golden era, meaning that there are a handful of players desperately trying to impress Pep Guardiola and become regulars in the first team squad.

City's failure to produce any homegrown talents for the first team was long an elephant in the room, especially after City spent £200m developing the City Football Academy which opened in 2014. The rise of Phil Foden was a landmark moment for the club, though, and with the quality of players in the academy seemingly increasing year on year, others should soon follow in his footsteps.

The likes of Cole Palmer, James McAtee and CJ Egan-Riley all impressed when making first team cameos this season, while Liam Delap looks to have a big future despite enduring an injury-hit campaign. But which academy starlets can City fans expect to make the leap next season?

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Cole Palmer

At the start of last season Palmer was not regarded as the youth player most likely to make an impact in Guardiola's squad, but he soon made everyone aware of his quality.

In 2021/22 he scored in all three cup competitions, including on his Champions League debut. With Gabriel Jesus looking likely to leave and Julian Alvarez potentially needing time to adapt to Premier League football, Guardiola is believed to be keen on giving Palmer more minutes on the right wing next season.

James McAtee

In January it looked like McAtee could leave City in search of regular first team minutes, but to the delight of everyone at the club he signed a new contract until 2026.

The 19-year-old enjoyed an incredible season, scoring 17 goals and providing seven assists in 22 Premier League 2