After enforcing discipline on his academy players in the United States, Pep Guardiola plans to integrate two new first-team players into Manchester City’s squad.
Following a summer of international competitions, Guardiola sent a young Manchester City team to the U.S. while most senior players were still on vacation.
Despite his frustrations over limited opportunities, he found value in observing and testing new ideas with the club’s top young talent in a first-team environment.
The manager has now decided to promote James McAtee and Nico O’Reilly from the youth ranks, reducing his initial target of adding five or six young players to just these two.
O’Reilly impressed with a standout performance against Chelsea, marking his fourth start of the summer, and McAtee shone with a goal against AC Milan and two second-half assists.
Guardiola praised their growth, along with Erling Haaland and Kalvin Phillips, noting that young players like Oscar Bobb and Rico Lewis have also been excellent.
Guardiola emphasized that while O’Reilly and McAtee are ready for first-team roles, others are not yet prepared and will either be loaned out or continue with the second team, depending on their development.
