Man City see early results from PSG raid as summer change pays off

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Manchester City Under-21s got their EFL Trophy campaign up and running with a comfortably victory at Oldham

Mahamadou Sangare scored two and set one up against Oldham

Move over Gianluigi Donnarumma, say hello to Mahamadou Sangare. Manchester City may have lined up a move for the Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper if Ederson leaves this week but they are already reaping the benefits of tempting one of the top talents from the French capital over to the Etihad.

Sangare, signed from PSG in summer, has quickly made an impression with his speed and finishing up front. Both were on show at Boundary Park as he swept home the first for City Under-21s in their 5-1 win over Oldham in the EFL Trophy before racing past the last man and calmly squaring for Ashton Muir.

Between those goals in a clinical ten-minute spell before half-time, Muir had picked out Emilio Lawrence to break on the counter and he pushed the ball on for Justin Oboavwoduo to finish smartly as Ben Wilkinson's side started strongly in a competition they rarely go far in.

It is five years since City got out of the group stage of this competition that controversially mixes top academy teams with lower league sides, and eight since the best ever record for the young Blues when they made the quarter-finals.

With no youngsters called up for the Club World Cup this summer, the academy made the most of an unusual pre-season where they had all of their players and arranged nearly 10 friendlies against men's teams.

Wilkinson thought it would be useful for his youngsters to know what level they could be playing at either this season or in future years, and the standards they need to meet if they are to do so. There was also an eye on starting more strongly in the EFL Trophy though, with a recognition that City haven't competed well enough in recent years.

Cheered on by a vocal corner of Boundary Park, it was an early vindication of the change to the summer strategy as goals from Sangare, Oboavwoduo and Muir gave City a 3-0 lead at half-time. That was reduced in the second half as Luke Hannant fired a penalty paste Spike Brits, and there was more sloppiness from the visitors as they grew tired defending the lead - but up stepped Sangare to score a second before Muir added his second in the final 10 minutes.

That gave the young Blues a 5-1 win to set them up nicely with games against Bolton and Rotherham to follow in the next few months - two tougher tests against teams in the division above Oldham. There is also a trip to United at the weekend in an Under-21s derby.

And even if City do no more business with PSG in this window, the speedy Sangare is already causing a stir.

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