Leicester City may not be in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals but a handful of their academy graduates will be.
It’s not just that Harvey Barnes and Jeff Schlupp will likely be in the squads for Newcastle and Crystal Palace as they seek a place in the final four, but reports suggest Trey Nyoni will get his full debut for Liverpool when they head to Southampton. If he does indeed start, City should bear that in mind.
It still rankles that Liverpool were able to poach one of the best talents in City’s academy aged 16, that one of the country’s biggest and most powerful clubs were able to snag a prodigy before the club who developed him even got a chance to use him. But if the Reds promised to fast-track Nyoni to the first team, they have delivered.
The attacking midfielder was handed his debut in the FA Cup last season, becoming Liverpool’s third-youngest player in the process. He then travelled with Arne Slot’s first team on their pre-season tour, impressing further. Now, aged 17, he’s set to start in a quarter-final.
Liverpool have recognised that Nyoni is good enough to play for their first team, or at least worth handing an opportunity in order to help him progress into a player who is good enough. City have to learn from that.
If a club as big as Liverpool can play a 17-year-old, with as many talented players as they have and in as good form as they are, and just three wins from a trophy, then so can a team like City. The FA Cup tie against Millwall looks ideal for City to do something similar.
In forward Jake Evans and winger Jeremy Monga, City have a 16-year-old and a 15-year-old that are among the biggest prospects they have ever produced. They have shown at under-21 level this season, especially in matches against senior players in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy, that they have very big futures ahead of them.
City need to show they really think that and one way to do so would be to give them debuts against Millwall, or at the very least include them on the bench. That would prove how serious they are taking their careers and how City is the best club for them to build their futures at. Plus, if they play, it will only speed up their progress and get them ready to be first-team regulars sooner.
There is a balance to strike, of course. Throwing players in too early, before they’re emotionally or mentally ready, can do more damage than good, but the signs so far are that Evans and Monga would grasp any opportunity handed to them.
Ruud van Nistelrooy has already shown his willingness to include academy players in his first-team squad, and Monga has already caught his eye. If he takes that further and hands him and Evans a debut against Millwall, he will be showing that City is the best place for them to be.
What would do with Monga and Evans against Millwall? Start them, bench them, or leave them out? Click HERE to have your say