Manchester City are set to strengthen their first-team squad this campaign by integrating at least three academy graduates into the senior setup.
The three players in question are Ryan McAidoo, Kaden Braithwaite and Floyd Samba, all of whom caught the eye of Enzo Maresca during pre-season preparations.
Maresca indicated recently that keeping McAidoo around the senior environment would serve the player better than sending him out on loan. Reports emerged this week that Braithwaite had been retained with the first-team group after demonstrating his abilities during the club’s summer tour of Asia. It has now been verified that midfielder Floyd Samba, who turned 17 in May and found the net during the FA Youth Cup final victory against United, will also train regularly with Maresca’s side.
These three individuals, alongside potentially Jeremy Monga — the player acquired from Leicester for £10million this summer — will supplement a squad that Maresca aims to build to between 20 and 22 senior outfield players. With the responsibility of maintaining City’s challenge across all four competitions, these figures represent Maresca’s target.
The club still have work to complete in the closing days of the transfer window to hit that number following the exits of Rodri, Tijjani Reijnders and Savinho over the past week. The squad currently contains 20 outfield players, though that tally features Omar Marmoush, Jack Grealish, Rico Lewis and Claudio Echeverri, with most or all of those likely to depart the club within the next fortnight either on temporary or permanent arrangements.
The players have been performing excellently since the beginning, Maresca stated. Their application has been first-rate from day one. He acknowledged that adjusting is difficult for them. Working consistently with one person and then experiencing change transforms everything. He drew an analogy to an actor collaborating with the same director for a decade on films before that director departs. The actor would still be thinking in the same manner as before while needing to adapt to someone new, which is challenging and far from straightforward. He described it as a competition rather than an excuse, noting it demands some time, though the team must begin competing as soon as possible.