Stuart Brennan has brought things upto date in the MUEN.
Thought some may find it interesting, as it's been discussed on here in the recent past.
http://menmedia.co.uk/manchesterevening ... ssing-link
City's youngsters will be hoping to emulate the first team by chasing success on two fronts next season.
The start of the Under-21 Premier League, alongside the NextGen Series, means that the club’s rising stars will have more than 30 games this season.
Last season, there was criticism of the Blues’ academy and elite development squad set-up, when the club had to farm out 25 players on loan to give them games.
City withdrew from the Barclay’s Premier Reserve League last summer, which meant the only competitions in which they were involved were the Manchester Senior Cup, Central League Cup and Lancashire Senior Cup.
They lost all six group games in the Champions League-style NextGen, and were knocked out at the first hurdle of the Lancashire Senior Cup by Blackpool.
The new set-up, it is hoped, will allow the Blues to keep players at the club, and still give them match experience at a high level.
Academy head Mark Allen says last season was not ideal, but believes the new under-21 league will provide the missing link.
“It provides that extra step from under-18s football, when you are not perhaps ready for the first team,” he said. When you are preparing to go out on loan but are not quite ready, it gives you that extra year or 18 months of preparation.
“It gives younger players the chance to train alongside the first team, as good as our manager is at doing that, to get used to that environment. If they are on site they can do that, whereas they can’t if they are out on loan.”
City have been grouped with Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Liverpool, Middlesbrough and Wolves, and kick off the new league at Chelsea on Friday, August 17. They need to finish in the top two to qualify for the Elite Group.
“It will be something that grows over the years and will become more robust. You are trying to get something that matches as closely as possible the first team, and that won’t happen overnight,” said Allen. “They are guaranteed a minimum of 24 games a season, plus the minimum of six in the NextGen, plus the Manchester and Lancashire Senior Cups. Players will get 30-plus games this season.
“There is nothing better than playing. You can train all week but match experience is what you are looking for. Realistically we were in a transitionary phase last year, in realising that the reserve league was perhaps not the environment for our players, and that there was something better coming along.
“There was also the added ingredient of European football last year, and this year you have it all coming together – a fully robust league, with European competition fitted into
that, and the ability for those lads to work alongside the first team in training, which can only be good for them.”
CITY have named their squad for the under-19 NextGen Series, which begins with a game against Paris St Germain at Platt Lane on August 30.
The Blues will also play Fenerbahce (home, September 13; away October 4), Juventus (away October 31, home November 8), and PSG away on November 28.
CITY: Gunn, Hardy, Henshall, Horsfield, Hutton, Huws, Kennedy, Lawlor, Leigh, Lopes, Mayifuila, McHale, Meppen-Walter, O’Brien, Plummer, Pozo, Rekik, Rusnak, Sharp, Bytyqi, Smith-Brown, Suarez, Swan, Cole, Drury, El Fitouri, Evans, Facey, Glendon.
Of particular interest to me, on that list is the unpronouncable Bytyqi, who appeared from nowhere recently.
[youtube]cJJaot7K74I[/youtube]
Based on reputation & the occasional viewing, that looks like one hell of a squad to me. May not make any kind of a team, as that is a different matter, but there are some talented lads there, with perhaps more about to join.
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