Manchester City to welcome two new players into first-team squad for 2024/25 season, confirms Pep Guardiola

Two new rising stars will be fully-integrated into Manchester City’s first-team set-up for the 2024/25 season, Pep Guardiola has confirmed in the United States this week.

Information concerning Manchester City’s squad for the new season comes after the completion of the club’s pre-season tour in the United States, in which Pep Guardiola was granted a rare opportunity to work closely with the club’s Academy talents.

With many of the club’s first-team squad granted extended holidays after their involvement at the European Championships in Germany, Pep Guardiola and his coaching staff named an initial 27-man squad list for their USA trip featuring City Football Academy prospects.

And with matches coming thick and fast Stateside, all members of the squad took on game time across the four matches, with one duo now subject to the ultimate promotion within Manchester City’s development system.

Speaking after Manchester City’s final contest in the USA this weekend, recording their only win of the pre-season tour against Chelsea, Pep Guardiola confirmed that both James McAtee and Nico O’Reilly will become first-team options for the forthcoming 2024/25 season.

The Manchester City manager also confirmed that the other youngsters featuring on pre-season from the club’s Academy system will now either return to the club’s youth ranks for the campaign, or be loaned out into senior men’s football this summer.

Pep Guardiola explained, “Nico (O’Reilly) and Oscar (Bobb) were both unbelievable (during pre-season), James McAtee made his potential as a player. We’re happy because all the young players made some minutes.”

Despite being viewed as a versatile player in attacking areas, and largely starring for Manchester City’s youth groups in the attacking midfield role, Nico O’Reilly was utilised to best effect in a deep-lying midfield position alongside Mateo Kovacic.

Pep Guardiola is understood to value the teenager’s on-the-ball abilities and eye for a pass in difficult situations, whilst also acknowledging that for a player of his youth, Nico O’Reilly has the physical attributes to compete in defensive midfield.

As for James McAtee, Pep Guardiola have long-valued the player’s abilities to operate in attacking midfield, and view him in a similar light to Phil Foden earlier in his career, earmarking the playmaker as a future superstar with the right coaching and patience.

McAtee himself has also admitted this summer that he is willing to bide his time in the Manchester City first-team, having taken on necessary senior minutes and experiences across a two-season loan spell with Sheffield United.