Man City could miss out on next Nico O'Reilly after pre-season change

2 days ago 22

Pre-season is often a time for young players to impress. A tour consisting of three or four games and a two-week block of training allows academy graduates on the fringes of a breakthrough to stake their claim.

Rewind a year and there were 16 youngsters in the squad for the four-game tour of the USA. That is more than usual but is often the case during a major tournament year, with many of City's senior squad still on holiday after the European Championship.

Of those players, Nico O'Reilly was probably the one who made the greatest impact, ending the season as a regular first-team player under Pep Guardiola. Oscar Bobb had already made his first-team breakthrough, but he went to another level when given the chance to impress Stateside due to those more senior absences.

These summers are often a valuable learning curve for young players, whether they make the grade at City or not. It exposes them to training with better players and show them how players at the elite end conduct themselves and look after their bodies. Those are lessons they can take into their careers at any level.

But this summer is set to be different for City and for those young players hoping to follow in the footsteps of someone like O'Reilly or even Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, who got a chance through injuries last season after touring and is now set for a loan move this season.

City's summer tour was effectively the Club World Cup, when the 27-strong squad picked by Guardiola was full of senior players. The reasoning was solid enough, with a tournament to be won and a desire to integrate new signings into a strong first-team environment.

That left the Under-21s to their own devices in pre-season. They have been back for a couple of weeks and have spent most of the time in Manchester. They drew 2-2 with Brentford B at the CFA last Saturday and won 2-1 against City Football Group's (CFG) Belgian outfit Lommel on Wednesday.

On Monday, Guardiola's first team will join them at the CFA. This scenario could normally lead to some academy call-ups to training, but again, that is unlikely to happen.

City's first-team squad is already extending close to 30 players, which is more than enough to put on a dedicated session without calling young players in. Guardiola's priority is actually to cut the squad, which would potentially make room for some young players to be around the first team as the season begins.

There is currently only one friendly inked in for the first team: a trip to Palermo to face the CFG-owned Serie B side on Saturday, August 9. That date will be taken up by first-team players who need the minutes in their legs ahead of the start of the domestic season rather than any opportunities for young players to impress.

For now, City's Under-21s, or the Elite Development Squad as they are referred to within the club, will continue with their own pre-season. Ben Wilkinson is putting his players through their paces ahead of a busy campaign, with the Blues' entry into the Premier League International Cup adding to their game schedule.

If Guardiola succeeds in trimming his squad, then chances may appear for those youngsters as the season progresses, but this summer their chance to lay down a marker in pre-season is unlikely to appear.

Man City's 2025/26 Away Shirt

Man City have launched their new away shirt for the 2025/26 season, featuring an all-black design inspired by the club's earliest-known kit.

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