There were plenty of positives for Manchester City to take from their FA Community Shield win over Manchester United on Saturday. A derby win to begin this season is a positive start to the new campaign.
The form of City’s youngsters was a major positive from the game. But for one of Manchester City’s youngsters in particular it felt like Saturday’s game at Wembley was the day where he showed that belongs in Pep Guardiola’s squad. That player was James McAtee. The young midfielder looks set for a bigger role with the world champions this season.
While it wasn’t a standout performance from McAtee he showed enough to indicate that he is ready to be a part of Pep Guardiola’s squad. The young Manchester City midfielder showed his immense technical ability at times against Manchester United. He was unfortunate to see a first-half shot hit the bar. But what was also on display was his intelligence. Throughout the game he made several key runs to open up space for Jeremy Doku. That attribute is a key part of McAtee’s game. As he gets more first-team opportunities during the 24/25 season he has shown he ready to make an impact for the world champions.
READ MORE: In just 27 minutes Savinho showed exactly what he brings to Manchester City.
There was also another feature of McAtee’s play that stood out. He looks to be a more mature player after consecutive loan spells at Sheffield United. It was evident early when McAtee burst onto the scene that he had the talent required to play at the highest level. He just needed first-team opportunities to further develop as a player. McAtee got that at Sheffield United. McAtee is now a more mature player which should make him a valuable contributor for Manchester City during the upcoming season.
Speaking after City’s win over their arch-rivals Pep Guardiola was full of praise for James McAtee. The City manager believes that he can add something to his squad for the new season. Guardiola told the media when asked about McAtee: “He knows all the processes. I think his period in Sheffield helped him a lot to give him value to how difficult football is. To win points. It helped him a lot. When you play in the small spaces, attack the goal, McAtee has this quality in small spaces. That’s why I said to Txiki I don’t want to loan him out because we need him.”
Guardiola’s comments post-game show just how highly he regards James McAtee as a player. Last week saw Fabrizio Romano report that a new contract may be on the way for the young playmaker. The opportunity was there this summer for McAtee to play his way into Pep Guardiola’s plans. He looks have done just that.
It has always appeared evident that James McAtee has the talent to one day be a prominent player for Manchester City. Saturday’s match looked to be the moment that he showed that he belongs at Manchester City this season. Of all the positives from Manchester City’s pre-season and victory on Saturday that may be looked back upon as one of the biggest.
McAtee looks ready to be a prominent player for Pep Guardiola this season. How he fares during the 24/25 season will interesting to watch. But he looks ready to finally make an impact at Manchester City. That is an exciting proposition considering the path he has taken to become a member of Pep Guardiola’s squad.
