Manuel Akanji names 18-year-old Manchester City starlet ‘doing a really good job’ in training

Manchester City Academy midfielder Jacob Wright has been mentioned by first-team star Manuel Akanji as ‘doing a really good job’ in training for Pep Guardiola’s side.

Wright first registered with Manchester City’s Academy aged eight, and went on to sign a scholarship with the club in July 2022. City see the player as someone strong at breaking up play and intelligent in distribution.

Following progression into Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad for the ongoing 2023/24 campaign, the 18-year-old went on to make his senior debut for Pep Guardiola’s side as a second half substitute in the FA Cup against Huddersfield Town in January.

But it isn’t just Pep Guardiola and Manchester City’s coaching staff that see Jacob Wright as being an exceptional talent and one to watch for the forthcoming years, with his first-team teammates also recognising his abilities.

Speaking during a recent interview with HYPEBEAST, central defender Manuel Akanji admitted that among the continued influx of young players being granted the opportunity to impress at senior level for City, Jacob Wright stands out.

“We have a lot of great young players who are training with us at the moment,” said Akanji. “Jacob Wright is one, he’s been doing a really good job.”

The Swiss international continued, “There’s so many young players who are coming up and they’re not scared, they’re just trying to do their thing and that’s what I like about them – just come up and show us what you can do.

“They give it all and it’s the right mentality. Oscar Bobb has improved so much too, he has been training with us for a while, but this season he has been learning more from all the other players. He’s a baller.”

Oscar Bobb is another name that is enduring a breakthrough campaign for Manchester City, playing a much greater role in the first-team squad than in the previous season, and starring when granted opportunities to play.

Bobb has scored two goals for Manchester City’s first-team so far this season, scoring the all-important winning goal at St James’ Park in a Premier League meeting with Newcastle United, as well as on matchday six of the UEFA Champions League group stage against Crvena zvezda.

Those top-level performances across competitions for Manchester City were rewarded by Etihad Stadium officials earlier this year, as Oscar Bobb signed a new five-year contract to stay with the reigning Premier League champions until the summer of 2029.