Nico O'Reilly scored in the FA Cup third round, added a decisive brace in the fifth round and came off the bench to rescue Manchester City in the quarter-finals.
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Nico O'Reilly celebrates scoring his team's second goal with teammates during the Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round match between Manchester City and Plymouth Argyle
Nico O'Reilly celebrates his second goal of the game in Manchester City's FA Cup tie with Plymouth
Nico O'Reilly openly admitted he didn't expect to play a minute in pre-season after getting the call from Manchester City.
What must he be thinking now, then, after a whirlwind 12 months that has seen him gone from a struggling under-21 side to first team player with a goal against Barcelona, a full-debut at Wembley vs Manchester United, and now a starring role in the run to the FA Cup semi-finals.
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Pep Guardiola has promised action in that Wembley semi-final for a youngster with three goals and two assists in the cup from four appearances. He headed City past Plymouth in the last round and came off the bench at Bournemouth to chip in with two match-winning assists.
The most remarkable part of that journey is that he's done it exclusively out of position - first at number six in the summer and at Wembley, before impressing as a left-back solution in the cup.
O'Reilly's coaches have privately expressed surprise at his left-back assignment. He has always been a number 10 or number nine, making headlines with scorpion kick goals for the academy in 2023 or a long-range lob against United. His defensive midfield journey in the USA under Pep Guardiola and then in the Community Shield was enough of a shock given he had never played there before.
Manchester City midfielder Nico O'Reilly shoots on goal against Barcelona
Nico O'Reilly scored against Barcelona in the summer.(Image: Getty)
"He's a guy who will be a player," Guardiola said in Orlando after O'Reilly scored a first goal for City against Barcelona. "His maturity, with and without the ball, many things. He did many good things. I'm pretty sure he can help us and play with us. He can play the role of holding midfield, he can do it, if Rodri isn't there. He can help us because he's a player with a lot of quality."
Those comments were before Rodri got injured, Guardiola instead looking for a Plan B. O'Reilly impressed in the Community Shield at number six but the manager naturally looked for more experienced cover when Rodri was ruled out.
"He's played higher up all his life but we also know we're trying to develop him to be capable of playing both," said under-21 coach Ben Wilkinson in September, having coached O'Reilly from under-16s to the EDS. "I'm sure there will be moments this season when you do see him in a deeper position."
O'Reilly has almost exclusively been a first team player this season, occasionally dropping down for the UEFA Youth League and Premier League 2 (and he has been happy to do so), but with senior injuries he has played 10 times and been involved in 35 of 48 matchday squads for Guardiola.
Nico O'Reilly in action in the Community Shield victory over Manchester United
Nico O'Reilly started in the Community Shield victory over Manchester United
With the under-21s top of the Premier League 2 and under-19s at AZ Alkmaar in the Youth League on Wednesday, O'Reilly could end up with four trophies at the end of the season to go with his Community Shield medal. Not a bad return.
"I’m just living the dream really," he said in Orlando after three starts on tour. "I wasn’t expecting to play any, to be honest, obviously the manager has trusted me and I’m just trying to do my best."
Now he's single-handedly dragging City to Wembley again, playing in his second new position of the season, and Guardiola can't hide his delight at the homegrown forward turned full-back.
A sharper mentality has been noticed in O'Reilly by coaches since his first team promotion, so even if he is not playing for the senior side he is always learning. It is no surprise Chelsea were sniffing in January given his impressive levels from sporadic minutes, and equally no shock that City insisted he stay close by.
So whether Guardiola does turn to O'Reilly against Nottingham Forest later this month remains to be seen. However what is certain is that City have a Swiss Army Knife showing the value of years of his education through the City Football Academy.
He is stepping up when City need him most and making the opportunities count when they come along. It won't be long before he gets more.
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