Delap penned a new three-year contract extension with the Club last week, signing a deal that takes the 18-year-old through to the summer of 2026.
Last season’s record PL2 goalscorer, Delap also played three times for the first team, memorably scoring on his senior debut against Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup.
And in the wake of his new deal, the City boss revealed that Delap – along with several other exciting young talents – would spend much of the campaign training and developing alongside City’s first team squad.
“Liam Delap for me, for the club, is so important for the future,” Guardiola asserted.
“At the end of last season, we said we had to extend the contract.
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“He is going to train with us, if a striker comes or doesn’t come. He will train with us all season.
“Him, Cole Palmer, James McAtee, Luke Mbete, Romeo Lavia. There are five or six guys who will be with us all season. The same process we have done with Tommy Doyle.
“It’s like Phil (Foden), when he arrived with us. (He) trained with us and played with the second team. It is the best way to help with their development.
“The problem with academies is the distance between their competition and the Premier League. It is too big. And it’s really difficult to promote them from here.
“That is why the best way for players we think have potential like Sam Edozie (he’s another guy) is for them to be with us.”
Play the video to watch Pep’s press conference in full…
