Stephen Mfuni #5 of Manchester City is celebrating his goal during the FA Youth Cup Final match between Manchester City and Leeds United at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, on May 10, 2024. (Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Stephen Mfuni #5 of Manchester City is celebrating his goal during the FA Youth Cup Final match between Manchester City and Leeds United at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, on May 10, 2024. (Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Young duo Oliver Whatmuff and Stephen Mfuni have trained with the Manchester City first team this week ahead of the FA Cup tie at Bournemouth.
Pep Guardiola's men return to action with a trip to the south coast on Sunday afternoon for a quarter-final clash. City will have their eyes on the trophy, the one remaining piece of silverware they can achieve this season, and will hope to book a spot in the last four and a date at Wembley.
Guardiola has supplemented his training group this week with the additions of goalkeeper Whatmuff and defender Mfuni. The latter has been capped by England at youth level and started and scored in last season's FA Youth Cup final win over Leeds United. The 17-year-old is left footed and also capable of playing in midfield. He featured for City in the EFL Trophy tie at Grimsby earlier this season.
Whatmuff, a commanding shot stopper, also played in that fixture and the 17-year-old has played across the Under-18s and Under-21 teams this season.
It is not unusual for academy players to move across to first team training, particularly during an international break when many of City's stars are away with their respective countries.
City are also dealing with several injuries at the back with John Stones, Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji all sidelined while goalkeeper Ederson missed the draw with Brighton last time out.
It means some academy prospects could be included in the squad at Bournemouth, although Guardiola has tended to go with first team players in the competition this term.
City's Under-18 side are also in cup action, with their FA Youth Cup semi-final away at Watford taking place on Thursday, April 8. The Blues are the defending champions and will be heavy favourites to progress.
They could come up against rivals Manchester United in a derby final. The Old Trafford outfit visit Aston Villa in the other last four tie on Monday.
---
Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester City coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.
*And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Talking City podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.*