Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has provided an update on Ryan McAidoo’s future at the club ahead of the 2026/27 season.
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The 18-year-old shone for the Blues during their pre-season tour in Hong Kong and South Korea and drew strong praise from manager Enzo Maresca, who has had a big decision to make over the English youngster's immediate-term future at the club.
An impressive cameo off the bench in a 1-1 draw against Inter Milan in Kowloon - which eventually saw Manchester City narrowly lose out via a penalty shoot-out - put Ryan McAidoo on the roadmap to potentially making the cut into the senior squad for the forthcoming season.
City are known to be in the transfer market for a new winger as talks continue with Tottenham Hotspur over the sale of Savinho, who is keen to link up with Roberto De Zerbi in north London after a transfer failed to materialise last summer.
Maresca discusses McAidoo’s Man City future
Speaking during a press conference built around Manchester City's eventual Community Shield defeat to Arsenal in Cardiff on Sunday afternoon, Enzo Maresca was quizzed by reporters on what the coming weeks hold for Ryan McAidoo.
“I think the best thing for him is to stay with us, to learn, be around first-team every day, try to be clever, try to be intelligent, try to learn from Antoine [Semenyo], Jeremy [Doku], the ones that we have in this moment here,” the new Manchester City manager said on Friday.
“And trying to learn is not how to dribble, but also attitude, work hard, work hard because young players sometimes it’s difficult because they can stop to work just because they feel they are ready, and they are not. So it’s good that he continues to learn.”
Is McAidoo expected to stay at Man City this season?
Manchester City’s search for a new winger to replace Brazilian international Savinho - if and when he leaves the club this summer - means that competition on the wings is as fierce as it can get for Ryan McAidoo.
However, Enzo Maresca’s comments instil strong trust into the teenager sticking around, learning from the likes of Jeremy Doku and the in-form Antoine Semenyo on a day-to-day basis and eventually aim to become a regular starter.
It is unlikely that the forward plays a significant role in the senior squad during the forthcoming season, with Manchester City boasting a formidable record of gradually integrating young academy talents into the first-team, with Phil Foden and Nico O'Reilly representing the best cases in point.
As things stand, the most likely opportunity for a first-team appearance under Enzo Maresca in a competitive fixture is in the Carabao Cup third round, with the League Cup defence beginning for Manchester City in September.