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During his career with Barcelona and Bayern Munich, Pep Guardiola has been credited for focusing on youth development. He gave many young players the chance to play with the senior squad and further develop their talent.
Now, as the manager of Manchester City, Guardiola seems to have little trust in the youngsters. Before this season had begun, the Spanish manager mentioned that the youth players will not have many opportunities to play in the first-team.
Guardiola went on to bring the title to the Etihad Stadium, playing senior players majority of the time and leaving some time for the youngsters to play in cup competitions. Next season, things could largely be the same, but that does not mean that the youngsters are not stepping up their game.
Here are five Manchester City youngsters that the football world should be looking out for.
#5 Phil Foden
The young midfielder will turn 18 this coming May and he has surprised many by playing in four Premier League matches with the first-team this season. In the short 35 minutes that he has spent on the pitch playing in England's top division, he has provided one assist.
Another amazing record that he has had this season is that in Premier League 2, he has netted five times and provided three assists for his team-mates. The English international is undoubtedly one of the best talents that England has.
The midfielder is able to control the ball well and has great confidence in his play. Not too long ago, Guardiola has praised him for his willingness to support the attack.
It seems likely that the club's manager is going to allow Foden to have more game-time with the senior players. The young player has been given the chance to showcase his energetic performances and creativity in the games that he has had so far.
The 17-year-old teenager had created history by becoming the youngest English player to play in a Champions League knockout match when he starred against FC Basel. On that particular night, he was singled out for his noteworthy performance as he displayed his superb technique on the ball and his marvelous skill in passing.
#4 Lukas Nmecha
Lukas Nmecha has spent more than a decade of his youth career playing for Manchester City. In the Cityzens' most recent Premier League match against West Ham, the youngster made his first appearance as a substitute for Gabriel Jesus.
The teenager was born in Germany but featured in England's youth national team. He has been regular in England's youth teams and scored the winning goal in the Under-19 European Championships.
At 19 years of age, he has been promoted to the first-team and is comfortable moving the ball around. In Premier League 2, he made 10 appearances and scored on 13 occasions.
It has been an extremely encouraging display from the centre-forward and he could well be the next big striker that people are craving for.
For the rest of the Premier League season, Guardiola could give more time for the youngsters to play given that the club has already clinched the trophy.
#3 Angus Gunn
The Manchester City goalie is currently on loan with Norwich City and has impressed many this season. Having played 44 matches in the Championship, Gunn has conceded 54 goals but also kept 15 clean sheets.
He has established himself as one of the more reliable keepers in the Championship and is following the footsteps of his father, Bryan Gunn, to be a great goalkeeper.
Loaned to Norwich City in order to get first-hand experience of playing every week, it looks like his loan spell has been a successful one and he could be on his way back to fight for a spot in the Manchester City first-team.
In November 2017, the youngster was called up by Gareth Southgate to be part of the England national squad. Even though he did not make an appearance, it is surely a reassurance of his skills and talent as a goalkeeper.
The 22-year-old is not without any suitors as he has been linked to a move away to Celtic next season. It will be a waste if Guardiola were to sanction the deal.
The former Bayern Munich coach ought to give this youngster a chance to play for his parent club instead of closing the door at once.
#2 Rabbi Matondo
Matondo has been regarded as the bright prospect from Cardiff's academy since Aaron Ramsey was brought over to Arsenal. The Welsh starlet has attracted loan offers from other clubs but Manchester City is said to have rejected them all this season.
As a result, the winger has been playing for Manchester City's youth team in Premier League 2, where he has made 14 appearances.
At just 17 years of age, Matondo has received commendation from his senior team-mate, Benjamin Mendy, who called the Welshman a ''baby shark". Earlier in the season, Guardiola gave Matondo the chance to train with the first team, but the player subsequently focused on playing for the youth team.
Although he has not made any first-team appearances thus far, it is believed that he is not far from reaching that stage. Matondo has been playing for more senior age groups and was even selected to play for Wales under 21 last year.
#1 Nabil Touaizi
The youngster was signed from Valencia where he scored more than 70 goals in two years with the Spanish team. Playing with the U-18s this season, he has scored 11 times and came up with six assists.
This is a pretty optimistic statistic for a player in his first season with Manchester City. The 17-year-old drew interest when the club had to pay €300,000 for him. Tall and fast when he has the ball, Touaizi is an ideal player in the heart of the midfield.
Although he may not have much experience playing in the top division, it will be interesting to keep a lookout for his performances in the near future as he could really be a gem that has been discovered by Guardiola.
All stats via TransferMarkt
