Manchester City's academy helped England to glory at the Under-21 European Championships and that will inspire future generations
CJ Egan-Riley came on in extra time as England won the Under-21 Euros
CJ Egan-Riley came on in extra time as England won the Under-21 Euros
There will be plenty of people at Manchester City delighted to see James McAtee lift the Under-21 European Championship trophy on Saturday.
It was an enormous decision for the 22-year-old from Walkden to go to the tournament given it effectively called time on his City career, but on top of captaining England to glory he was also named the best player in the final win over Germany.
Whatever sadness there is at the Etihad that it hasn't worked out for him with Pep Guardiola, there will still be immense pride at what a fine player the academy has produced. He should get an excellent move this summer and continue his development with a career at the top level, making City a handsome sum as he goes.
If McAtee is another example for those currently coming through City's academy to aspire to, so is one of his England teammates in Bratislava. As the Under-21s slogged through extra-time in front of watching Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel, on came CJ Egan-Riley in the final period to help see out the game.
Egan-Riley enjoyed great success as he came through City's youth system, part of the 2020 FA Youth Cup winners that have produced so many top footballers and making his professional debut under Guardiola a year later. In the summer of 2022, he left on the expiry of his contract to join Burnley just as Vincent Kompany arrived to lead the Championship club.
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City were only entitled to a development fee given Egan-Riley left on a free transfer, meaning they could only make £1m at best from the move. And, for a long time, it didn't seem as though things were working out for the defender.
He was loaned to Hibs midway through his first year at Turf Moor, and in his second year with the Clarets in the Premier League he ended up playing for PSV's youth team. Kompany's departure and Burnley's relegation offered Egan-Riley a new chance though, and he was named in the Championship Team of the Year last season following his important contribution to an astonishingly strong Burnley defence.
There will be no return to the Etihad though, because - to the unhappiness of Burnley - Egan-Riley agreed a deal to join Marseille instead. And while some got giddy at the sell-on fee City inserted into their original deal, it is a free transfer so all the Blues are entitled to is 30 per cent of £0.
Nevertheless, Egan-Riley still represents a terrific success story for the academy - and one that many players in there can take real heart from. He hasn't moved for many millions of pounds and his career hasn't been solely highs, but he has shown his true value, earned two excellent moves, and can now say that he has won the Under-21 Euros.
As he takes some well-earned rest before a new chapter in Ligue 1, Egan-Riley is another in a long list of former City youngsters who should be celebrated at the Etihad.
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