It has been roughly a week since Manchester City fell to Manchester United in the ‘friendly’ game played in Houston.
The defeat in itself will turn out to be irrelevant when both sides enter April and May of 2018, but in this week, us City fans have seen the club purchase two new defensive players and the talk surrounding one Phil Foden. And neither talking point has gone without its criticism from the footballing world outside of City. This has included accusations that City do not give opportunities to progress for those in its academy. Dissenting voices included Gary Neville, who thought that it was unfortunate Foden wasn’t at the red side of Manchester.
Other pundits and ‘experts’ have even suggested the signing of Danilo, alongside Benjamin Mendy and Kyle Walker, to be bad planning on the part of our talent acquisition team. Some citing that all cannot play at once, which may be true yet still blows my mind as it was a lack of strength in depth within those positions at the back that we were accused of displaying last season.
In regards to this particular argument I would like to remind everyone that we have had two right backs, two left backs and a goalkeeper move on from our regular playing squad last season.
The total age of those five was 163, which made the average age almost 33-years old. Whereas, the three defensive players coming in, along with Ederson, comes to a combined 99-years of age, averaging out to a little under 25 years, which will barely move if we sign also Ryan Bertrand from Southampton.
But when you look at last season – Premier League games only – Manchester City used a total of 24 players, whose average age was 28. That figure includes more than half who are aged 30 or above and only six who were 23 or below.
This season, we have removed seven of those 13 older players, with possibly another being moved on in Fernando, providing a suitable figure can be reached. Kelechi Iheanacho is the exception to the rule, with his likely destination being Leicester City if stories are to be believed.
So what is our current average squad age? Well, it depends on who will get used next season along with other arrivals and departures but, if we were to just use the squad members from last season who still remain, including Nacho and Fernando, and adding our ‘to date’ arrivals, then we have reduced our average age to 26 with only five in the 30 or older section.
So, we are getting our squad age down. But what about academy players? These guys will certainly be utilised in the League Cup or, if not, sent off on loan to other clubs in England and abroad. This is where City are doing right by their youth, they do secure some competitive first team football for players who need to push on.
Just because you are not in the City side week in and week out aged 17 doesn’t mean the club are doing anything wrong. If you are good enough, you would be there. Look at all the attention given to Kylian Mbappe, and the chances given to our own Gabriel Jesus. In the current ‘must win’ environment of today’s game, they are exceptions and no longer the rule.
So, back to the comments from Mr Neville and the statistics flying around that Jose Mourinho was more open to youth last season. One report stated he gave 1,445 minutes of Premier League playing time to teenagers last season while City only managed 414 between Iheanacho, Jesus and Aleix Garcia.
Let us put aside for the moment that Jesus was injured for most of his time after joining us and therefore couldn’t be selected. Also, we will not mention that the minutes quoted for United’s youth was for two players – mainly Marcus Rashford because Timothy Fosu-Mensah only made one start and three substitute appearances. Ours was for three, one of which was injured.
Let’s not mention that and instead focus on why it should have been more. Anyone remember Mourinho complaining at times that his squad was so depleted through injuries and suspensions that he might even have to go into the gym and pull on a shirt? Well, you could have turned to the youth then?
Instead, his lack of rotation of senior players, some who he’d remarked had played all of the one month – a game every three or four days – were used consistently.
The youth, who Neville states had such better opportunities, were overlooked in the main.
Meanwhile Manchester City, who are doing so wrong by the youth, have a good mix of younger players in the squad this upcoming season and have younger players around the globe getting first team experience.
This will be beneficial wherever they end up, and a prime example includes our 23-year-old Pablo Mari, who is currently on loan at NAC Breda and will spend the season wearing the captain’s armband. That’s an opportunity for the young man to not only ply his trade but become a leader on the pitch, responsible for his team once they cross the white line.
On a side note, if he was to get injured a candidate for vice captain is currently also there on loan from us, Manu Garcia.
So I’ll watch City this season and continue to support what they do, and you keep your clubs in check. Maybe we can discuss youth opportunities and player progression in ten months’ time.
