“He is Aware of How Valued He is" - Man City's EDS Manager Drops Hint on Future of Young Starlet Amid Contract Talks

Alongside the roaring success of the Manchester City first team in recent years, the club's academy system is thriving just as well. 

The results differ, with some player sales resulting in healthy paydays for the club, like Jadon Sancho, or some finding their way into the City first-team, like Phil Foden and Cole Palmer. 

Either way, the academy appears to be doing its job for the club.

Another name on the list of players who appear to have a high ceiling coming out of the youth system is James McAtee. 

And while the midfielder has only made three appearances for the senior team, a tally of 13 goals in 14 games in the Premier League 2 has landed him on the list for a loan move this January to round off his development. 

With those rumours circulating, the club's Elite Development Squad manager, Brian Barry-Murphy has opened up on McAtee's development and influence within the squad. 

“He is aware of how valued he is within the club and, I think for him, he has had a taste of what it looks like at the very top level,” Barry-Murphy said in an interview for Man City Magazine.

Barry-Murphy continued, “Whenever he plays for us, it is with a clear plan of maintaining his match minutes, keeping his fitness levels up, and trying to become one of the most dominant players in this league - and he has done that."

Recent reports have suggested that McAtee is a loan target for a handful of clubs in the Championship, and even in the lower reaches of the Premier League. 

However, as the likes of Cole Palmer and Phil Foden have shown us, if Pep Guardiola sees a future for a player in the first-team, they tend to stick around the Etihad to develop.