Manchester City academy notebook as young Blues set to return amid quadruple hunt and Club World Cup opportunities
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Lakyle Samuel
Lakyle Samuel
The end of the March international break sees Manchester City knuckle down and focus on the hunt for trophies. While Pep Guardiola's silverware hopes hinge on the FA Cup, there is still a chance of an academy quadruple before the end of the season.
As part of a new weekly look at the academy, here we will look at how the City youngsters are faring and who is standing out. With two league titles firmly in sight, plus an FA Youth Cup to defend and a golden chance in the UEFA Youth League, City have a chance to do what the first team can't and win multiple titles this season.
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And with a Club World Cup offering a chance for Guardiola's men to defend their world title, while also acting as a de facto summer tour, the run-in presents an opportunity for some players to book a place on the plane to the USA.
Samuel's chance to return to the States
In a normal summer, Lakyle Samuel probably wouldn't have been anywhere near the first team tour. But with most of the first team squad resting after Euro 2024 duty, the right-back was one of many academy names getting a senior experience in the USA under the close eye of Pep Guardiola.
City played infront of thousands across four states, with Samul seeing some action in Columbus late on against Chelsea. He has returned and played an important role in the Premier League 2 title bid for the under-21s, featuring in all but one game and scoring once across the back line. In the Youth League, he has an eye-catching two goals and two assists in six games as City face a quarter-final clash coming up.
After one of those goals, where he ventured into the area and smashed the ball into the top corner, he told the Manchester Evening News how he has been looking to improve his attacking output, with coaches challenging the defence to emulate Rodri's late runs into the box.
"With the positioning, we have to replicate what they do [in the first team], they systems they play," Samuel said in December. "It helps to be around them, training with them and seeing the positions they pick up. In my game I try and replicate that.
Son of former Aston Villa defender JLloyd, Lakyle opened up in another chat with MEN Sport this season, explaining how he watches videos of his father on YouTube following his tragic passing in 2018.
Lakyle Samuel
Lakyle Samuel has captained the under-18s last season before stepping up a level this term.
"Obviously, with my dad’s influence in football it helped me to understand it a lot more," he said. "He helped me to understand the basics and since then I have taken myself with it. He was a great inspiration to me growing up. I didn’t watch much of him - I don’t remember any games of him. I’ve gone back and watched things about him and I’ve gone back and watched him on YouTube.
"He was a very aggressive player and I feel like it will help to watch clips of him and how he played. But I want to learn myself. I don’t want to be under him, I want to push myself to be my own person.
"My mum, she’s probably my best friend. She has helped me a lot. My mum has been through it all and they understand what it takes to get there as they’ve seen it with my dad. I’m just trying to make them proud."
After getting a taste of first team action in the summer, before putting it into practice with the academy, Samuel will hope a strong end to the season will catch the eye when it comes to Guardiola forming his squad for this summer's Club World Cup. Having taken some youngsters to the last edition in Saudi Arabia in 2023, even just for training, there could be a chance for some of the stand-out academy talents from this season to follow suit if Guardiola decides.
Opportunities for Bobb?
Oscar Bobb made his long-awaited comeback from injury for the under-21s just before the international break, amid doubts over how many first team opportunities he will get to play his way back to fitness. Pep Guardiola has had to leave James McAtee or Nico O'Reilly out of recent Premier League games for rotation purposes, so Bobb's return only adds to the competition.
Oscar Bobb of Manchester City looks on during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD8 training session at Manchester City Football Academy
Oscar Bobb is back training as he steps up his return to fitness with Manchester City
The FA Cup quarter-final this weekend may be an opportunity for Bobb to make a comeback but Guardiola may equally want to go as strong as possible against a confident Bournemouth side in a fixture City lost in the Premier League. Can they afford to ease Bobb back?
Guardiola has admitted it will be hard to rotate with fewer games in the run-in, so could Bobb get more under-21 chances to put himself in the best shape to contest a senior place? He is ineligible for next week's UEFA Youth League clash but there are two more Premier League 2 fixtures before the end-of-season play-off campaign.
City go into those games with a two-point lead over second-placed Fulham - who are the next opponents on April 7. Victory in that game would secure top spot in the division's league phase after last year's disappointment. It would also secure a favourable tie against the 16th-placed team for the play-off games.
Youth League focus
With no EDS fixture this weekend, attention can be given to the Youth League quarter-final against AZ Alkmaar on Wednesday as City look to continue their bid to win Europe's premier youth competition for the first time.
Ben Wilkinson's side travel to the Netherlands looking to build on victories at Midtjylland and Hoffenheim in the knock-out stages so far, but will be wary that Alkmaar have knocked out Manchester United's highly-rated academy and also Real Madrid in the next round.
Win the quarter-final and City will set up a semi-final with Stuttgart or Barcelona in the finals week in Nyon. Holders Olympiakos or Inter Milan are among the other teams who could await in a possible final.
With an FA Youth Cup semi-final at Watford coming up and two league titles to compete for, City remain in the hunt for an unprecedented academy quadruple.
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