OPINIONMan City may have confirmed another first team addition for Pep Guardiola

OPINIONMan City may have confirmed another first team addition for Pep Guardiola

Manchester City youngster Nico O’Reilly continued an excellent tour as he scored against Barcelona in a 2-2 draw

Manchester City midfielder Nico O’Reilly shoots on goal against Barcelona.

Nico O’Reilly shoots on goal for Manchester City against Barcelona
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At the age of 19, Nico O’Reilly can now boast a goal against Barcelona.

It may be a friendly but this was another evening where O’Reilly showed he can be a real deal. It feels slightly odd that it has taken the teenager this long to emerge as a first-team possibility – he made the bench for a Premier League game the season before last – but after injuries have stalled his progress it has been an encouraging trip for O’Reilly.

More senior colleagues have had more attention. Kalvin Phillips has tried and really failed to make the most of his midfield auditions, while James McAtee has bubbled under the surface as he attempts to secure his place in Pep Guardiola’s squad for the coming season.

READ MORE: What Grealish did after Man City goal vs Barcelona shows his true colours

READ MORE: Man City player ratings vs Barcelona as Grealish and Phillips good

With those bigger pictures in the building of Guardiola’s group, it has gone slightly unnoticed that O’Reilly has started in all three of City’s friendlies in the United States. Not only that, he has been utilised in all three midfield positions and done well in all of them.

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He saved his best for Barcelona though. “He was phenomenal today.,” said Shaun Wright-Phillips after the game. “Everything he did seemed like it was what he wanted to do and it was in the right direction.”

O’Reilly is still likely to be behind McAtee, Oscar Bobb and all of the other senior midfielders that will return to training next week. However, Guardiola spoke recently of up to five youngsters who are of interest at the moment and O’Reilly may well have played his way into the first team plans; if he is happy with that, there is no reason why he shouldn’t be looking for occasional minutes off the bench towards the end of Premier League games and bigger roles in cup matches.

City need to find a way to navigate more games this season with the expanded Champions League and Club World Cup, and if there won’t be new additions in the market the pressure on the first team will have to be released by the academy.

Summer tours see plenty of breakout stars from the academy who show Guardiola enough that they go on to play a significant role in the season ahead. Bobb has been the standout so far, but under the radar O’Reilly could see lasting rewards from his efforts on tour.

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