Manchester City are set to be without several first-team regulars for the League Cup fixture against Wycombe Wanderers on Tuesday.
Manchester City kick off their Carabao Cup campaign against Wycombe Wanderers on Tuesday, with Pep Guardiola set to field an inexperienced side with several youngsters from the academy.
City’s youth system is fast becoming the envy of English football following an unbeaten start to the Premier League 2 campaign. City’s under-23 side have scored four goals in each of their last four league fixtures, including wins against Manchester United and Chelsea.
With a core of players that grew up in Greater Manchester, City are leading the way in promoting homegrown quality. The jewel in the crown of City’s academy, Phil Foden, looks ever more likely to be succeeded by a generation with promising talents such as Cole Palmer and Liam Delap, who are attracting attention from their national teams.
Palmer, who marked his England under-21 debut with a goal, looks set to continue his strong start to the season against Wycombe, along with several other youngsters, as several first-team players will miss the fixture through injury.
Join MEN Sport as we forecast the academy stars who could feature in the Carabao Cup.
After a summer that saw him graduate to the first team and start at Wembley in the Community Shield, Palmer made his England U21 debut in early September against Kosovo.
The Wythenshawe-born talent has a tendency to attempt the audacious, and that’s precisely what he did for his goal, converting with his stronger left foot after a mazy run into the box.
Whilst Palmer regularly features in attacking areas for City’s under-23 side; he has demonstrated an aptitude to get stuck in and show defensive discipline. Expect Guardiola to tinker with his playing position in the coming season to learn more about what he is capable of.
In January, Luke Mbete earned his maiden call-up to City’s senior side, being named on the bench in City’s clash away at Chelsea.
He was one of the key figures in last season’s impressive under-23 side and has continued his fine form into this season, featuring in three of the four most recent fixtures.
A tall and commanding presence at the heart of our defence, left-footed Mbete has the tactical astuteness and quality with the ball to have a long career in the Premier League.
Delap is one of the more highly publicised members of City’s youth system, owing to his outstanding goalscoring record through the age groups.
Linked with a move away on-loan this summer, Delap has been continuing his development at City following an outstanding season for the under-23’s last term, scoring 24 goals in 20 appearances in the Premier League 2.
Absent until City’s PL2 fixture against Crystal Palace with injury, every piece of first-team news comes with a tirade of questions asking for updates on Delap’s fitness. With a timeline of recovery set for the near future, there is a chance Delap could register his first minutes for the senior team this season mid-week.
The 18-year-old played 90 minutes for City’s under-19 side that blew RB Leipzig away in the UEFA Youth League earlier in the week.
Tall and powerful, the left-back has been a fixture for City’s all-conquering Premier League 2 side and is seen as a potential first-team player for the future.
His strong early season performances rewarded him with a spot on the bench for City’s 0-0 draw with Southampton on Saturday.
Lavia joined City as a 16-year-old in the summer of 2020 from boyhood club Anderlecht and was widely expected to play mainly for the club’s U18s. However, due to impressive performances in training, it didn’t take long for him to make his debut in the Premier League 2.
Lavia won the EDS Player of the Season award last term ahead of the likes of Palmer and Delap, a testament to his quality at such a young age.
Lavia is a long-term heir for Fernandinho, whose contract is due to expire at the end of the season. With Rodri establishing himself as Guardiola’s first option in the number 6 role, Lavia’s ascent into the first-team is set to be relaxed and without pressure, the perfect environment for a young player.
The attacking midfielder has been in fine goalscoring form so far this term, including successive PL2 hat-tricks, helping City rise to the top of the table.
He has impressed new u-23 boss Brian Barry-Murphy, who has complimented the youngster on his early season performances.
“I’m in the very early stages of getting to know James, but I think he’s conscious of the fact he wants to get into positions where he can score goals,” stated Barry-Murphy
“I think it’s just about him putting himself in that position in the box all the time as much as he can in line with what the rest of his teammates want, and those options will flow.
“How many goals or assists he will get is hard to quantify, but you can see there is a real focus on what he wants to become in the final third.”
The skilful winger helped himself to another goal on the weekend in City’s 4-2 PL2 victory over Palace.
He has started the season in excellent form, a year after making the step up to the EDS side in 2020. He was identified as a 17-year-old whilst playing for Millwall and joined City’s youth academy as a scholar.
The 18-year-old Londoner has started four Premier League 2 fixtures and has established himself as a critical member of Barry-Murphy’s side.
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