Man City have wildcard solution to centre-half race between academy talents

Manchester City have a string of promising central defenders but one has been catching the eye in English football this season.

It feels like there is a changing of the guard happening for Manchester City at centre-back, and a number of promising youngsters are vying for the chance to show they are the next cab on the rank for Pep Guardiola's first-team squad.

Manuel Akanji left on loan to join Inter Milan this summer and is expected to move permanently in 2026. Nathan Ake is likely to leave either in January or next summer, while John Stones is out of contract at the end of this season as well.

If he maintains his fitness, Stones is playing well enough to earn a new deal, but the Blues are certainly changing at the back.

Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol have established themselves as the first-choice partnership, and Abdukodir Khusanov, 21, is a valuable member of the squad, although the pacey Uzbek international had been playing right-back before getting injured.

When it comes to future first-team prospects, January signings Juma Bah and Vitor Reis dominate the discussion. Both are 19 and playing regular first-team football in a big five league this season, with Bah impressing at Nice and Reis playing for City Football Group side Girona in La Liga.

Bah has spent all his Etihad career out on loan so far, but Reis, a £29.6million signing from Palmeiras, has started three cup fixtures for City and earned a brief Premier League debut in April, before this season's loan move.

That fee and the first-team experience put Reis at the head of the queue, but there is another candidate who will be determined to show he can make the step up, ahead of even younger players of potential in the academy, such as Kaden Braithwaite and Stephen Mfuni.

Max Alleyne was man of the match for England Under-21s as they beat Andorra in midweek, having only made his debut for Lee Carsley's side three days earlier against Moldova.

It continues a positive season for Alleyne, with the 20-year-old impressing on loan at Championship side Watford. He has been involved in eight of the Hornets' nine second-tier games, playing every minute of the previous five fixtures.

This is Alleyne's first taste of senior football, having been an unused substitute for City on seven occasions, from December 2023 to January 2025.

He has plenty of age-group experience for the Blues, but spoke this week about the step-up from academy football and how he is getting better for regular action in the Championship.

“It has been such a good learning experience for me,” he said. “It’s so different to playing with the Under-21s at Manchester City. I’ve really enjoyed it, and it is good for me."

Alleyne models his game on Stones, but joked this week he was too shy to ask for advice, either at City or at St George's Park, with the Under-21s often training next to Thomas Tuchel's senior squad.

But you can see why Stones is considered a good fit. Against the minnows of Moldova and Andorra, Alleyne was tasked with bringing the ball out from the back and showing his passing range.

“I think it is something that I have always been comfortable doing,” said Alleyne.

“I think Lee [Carsley] has seen that as well. It has made me comfortable to step-in whenever I can and I think it helps the team get up the pitch and create opportunities, so I’m going to keep on doing it.”

It might only be a small sample size, but the FBRef scouting report on Alleyne shows him to be in the 93rd percentile for progressive passes as a centre-back and the 99th percentile for successful take-ons. That makes him one of the best centre-backs for moving the ball forward and carrying the ball out of defence.

Those are traits Stones has perfected over the years and the kind of skillset required to thrive as a centre-back at the Etihad.

He might still be relatively inexperienced, but don't rule Alleyne out when it comes to the debate around future City defenders.