In recent seasons, Manchester City's academy has become one of the most prominent in Europe. They have produced many fantastic players, some of whom still ply their trade at the Etihad Stadium, and others who have moved on to pastures new.
One of the best academy graduates currently in the City squad would have to be Phil Foden. Their number 47 has cemented himself as one of the key players in Pep Guardiola’s first-team squad.
On the flip side, the Citizens let the likes of Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers leave in the last few years, both of whom are now full England internationals.
Manchester City's Cole Palmer celebrates scoring their first goal
Another City academy graduate, Nico O’Reilly, could be about to make his Three Lions debut.
Why O’Reilly is in the England squad
It has been an astronomical rise to the top for 20-year-old City starlet O’Reilly. After becoming an established player in their first-team fold last season, Thomas Tuchel has taken note of his performances and drafted him into his latest England squad.
England squad for October international break - Tuchel
The Manchester-born City star is a versatile player and has been something of a Swiss army knife for Guardiola. He’s played 30 first-team games for his boyhood club, which have come all over the pitch.
Most often, O’Reilly has played as a left-back, but he’s played as a centre-back, right across the midfield, and even as a centre-forward.
That versatility has been hugely beneficial for City’s Spanish boss. He can deploy O’Reilly almost anywhere and get a good performance in whichever role he plays. This season, the youngster has played nine games, with seven of those appearances coming at left-back.
He even set up Erling Haaland’s second goal away to Monaco from that position.
One person who O’Reilly has impressed this season is BBC Sport tactical analyst Umir Irfan. He said that the versatile star “has been brilliant for City and a big part of their solidity in recent weeks,” which is high praise indeed.
O'Reilly
As well as O’Reilly has performed for City, he is arguably not even their biggest talent at full-back to come from the academy in recent years.
City’s ex-academy star who’s better than O’Reilly
O’Reilly isn’t the only top prospect City have produced at full-back in recent years. Rico Lewis has also broken into Guardiola’s squad, and, like his fellow academy graduate, can operate in midfield, as Guardiola likes his full-backs to do.
Yet, one player of a vastly different profile, who City may wish they had kept hold of, is Liverpool wing-back Jeremie Frimpong. The Dutchman was once in City’s academy himself, but was sold to Celtic for just £300k back in 2019.
Liverpool right-back Jeremie Frimpong
In hindsight, this wasn’t the best decision City have made over the years. Now plying his trade at Anfield, Frimpong cost their Premier League rivals £29.5m, following some exceptional seasons at Bayer Leverkusen.
He’s already seven games into his Liverpool career and scored on his debut in the Community Shield against Crystal Palace.
He is also a different type of full-back to O’Reilly. Operating as a winger at times with the ball, Frimpong is rapid down the right flank and has a deadly cross in his arsenal.
That is why football scout Antonio Mango described him as a “cheat code.”
In Leverkusen's remarkable invincible season of 2023/24, the Dutchman was one of their best players. Operating at wing-back, the 24-year-old scored 14 times and assisted 12 in 47 games.
His underlying stats were incredible, too. With less defensive responsibility, he ranked in the top 13% for key passes amongst Bundesliga full-backs in the top flight, with 1.8 per 90 minutes.
Frimpong attacking stats in 23/24 Bundesliga
Stat (per 90)
Goals and assists
Key passes
Crosses completed
Take-ons completed
Progressive carries
Stats from FBref
O’Reilly has certainly made an excellent start to his career. Yet, with Frimpong’s contribution to a memorable Leverkusen season in 2023/24, and his major move to Liverpool this summer, it is easy to see how he could be considered a bigger talent.
Frimpong
Losing a player of this quality might sting City fans now. He was an academy star who was let go for a cheap price, and would have brought something unique to their current squad.