Manchester City’s academy has made a name for itself as one of the best in England.
Manchester City’s Under-18s are the current U18 Premier League Northern champions and have won three national titles, two FA Youth Cups and two U18 Premier League cups since 2019,
Meanwhile, City’s Under-21s have won the Premier League 2 title four times in the past five seasons, the latest of which came earlier this week.
Ben Wilkinson’s charges defeated Southampton’s U21s 2-0 at the Joie Stadium to cap off a superb season in which they finished the campaign top of the table.
Divin Mubama, who City fans have tipped for a bright future, opened the scoring before Ashton Muir put City out of reach.
And while the two scorers earned the lion’s share of the spotlight, Joe Bray of the Manchester Evening News focused on another talent who “could be one to watch”.
Photo by Jeroen van den Berg/Soccrates/Getty Images
Photo by Jeroen van den Berg/Soccrates/Getty Images
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Manchester City academy midfielder Charlie Gray backed to catch the eye next season
The player in question is Charlie Gray, who has enjoyed a wonderful season at No.6 and was voted the EDS Players’ Player of the Season.
The 19-year-old earned promotion from the U18s to the U21s last year, and he has taken to life in the U21s incredibly well.
Indeed, it would not be surprising to see him make another step up in the wake of a campaign which saw him make 29 appearances and register eight assists and a goal.
Gray’s latest assist saw him intercept a stray pass and set up Mubama for the opening goal of the night in Thursday’s playoff final.
The Man City website has described Gray as “a calming presence in the centre of midfield with an excellent range of passing”.
Bray believes that Hugo Viana has “a new number six to keep an eye on next season” and said “Gray in particular could be one to watch next season”.
“The first team have notoriously struggled to find a solution at the base of midfield,” Bray wrote in the Manchester Evening News.
Competition Appearances Goals Assists Yellow cards Red cards Minutes played
Premier League 2 16 1 4 3 1 967′
UEFA Youth League 7 – 2 2 1 541′
PL2 Playoffs 4 – 2 2 – 420′
EFL Trophy 2 – – – – 135′
Total 29 1 8 7 2 2.063′
Charlie Gray stats this season
“And while Rodri is now back, maybe Pep Guardiola’s demands for a smaller squad and acceptance that he will have to use the academy if needed could play into the hands of some of these youngsters.”
While Gray looks up to Rodri, Bray said the youngster is “more of a Fernandinho in stature and maybe closer to Bernardo Silva in tenacity.”
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What Pep Guardiola said about Manchester City U21s’ Premier League 2 win
Pep Guardiola was eager to congratulate the Man City U21s players and manager Ben Wilkinson after the win over Southampton.
“I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the players along with Ben and his staff on what is a wonderful achievement,” he said.
“To win the Premier League title is such a tough thing to achieve and a matter of huge pride for us all at the Club.
“The manner of their victory showed how talented our young players are and also proved that they play with courage and personality too.
“We see how strong the Academy is every single day, and the quality is there every single time the young players train with us.
“I hope they enjoy this achievement because it is a reward for everyone’s hard work and commitment across the season.”