A host of players have graduated from our CFA production line to forge ahead in their senior careers, either within the ranks of Pep Guardiola’s first team squad or by prospering elsewhere within the professional game.
There have been numerous memorable young City squads to have taken full flight over the past decade or so.
But, by any measure, the group that went on to secure the Club’s last FA Youth Cup triumph back in 2020 when we beat Chelsea 3-2, stood as the very personification of the way top class talent is nurtured and developed here at the CFA.
Ahead of Friday’s latest FA Youth Cup final, when City play host to Leeds United at the Etihad Stadium, Neil Leigh charts the progress and fascinating individual journeys made by our Class of 2020 in the intervening four years since that memorable night...
Cieran Slicker
A tall commanding presence between the sticks, in the wake of that memorable night at St Georges’ Park, Slicker went on to become an integral part of the City Under-21s side that lifted the PL2 trophy in both 2020/21 and the following campaign.
Slicker also linked up with Pep Guardiola’s senior squad on eight occasions across the Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup in the 2021/22 season as well as representing Scotland at Under-21 level.
After spending the first half of the 2022/23 season on loan at League Two Rochdale where he made three appearances, Cieran returned to City for the concluding part of the campaign, helping Brian Barry-Murphy’s City secure an unprecedented third straight PL2 title.
The 20-year-old then bade farewell to City in the summer of 2023, making the move to Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town side who have just secured promotion back to the Premier League, where he has made three appearances to date.
CJ Egan-Riley
Having graduated through the age groups at City, commanding full-back Egan-Riley went on to help drive City to Premier League 2 title success across both the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons, skippering us to success in the latter campaign.
Egan-Riley also made his professional debut for City’s first-team squad during a 6-1 Carabao Cup win over Wycombe Wanderers at the Etihad in September 2021, before then making his UEFA Champions League bow in March 2022 during a 0-0 draw Round of 16 second leg Etihad clash against Sporting CP.
Two months later CJ made his Premier League debut for Pep Guardiola’s first-team, coming on as a second-half substitute against Newcastle United in a 5-0 home win before subsequently making the move to Burnley in the summer of 2022.
After making six appearances for Vincent Kompany’s side, Egan-Riley spent the second half of the season furthering his experience with a loan spell at Scottish Premiership side Hibernian, making 14 appearances in total.
After returning to Turf Moor for the start of this campaign, Egan-Riley secured another loan move in January 2024, joining Dutch Eredivise side PSV Eindhoven with the 22-year-old figuring 11 times to date for PSV’s Under-21 side in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis
The powerful and skilful centre-half – who made his City first team debut back in September 2019 in a Carabao Cup tie at Preston - is another to have made sterling progress since that 2020 FA Youth Cup success.
Shortly after City lifted the trophy at St George’s Park, Harwood-Bellis went on to spend the second half of the 2020/21 season on loan with Championship side Blackburn Rovers playing 21 times in total.
The first half of the 2021/22 campaign saw the Stockport-born youngster on loan at RSC Anderlecht under former City skipper Vincent Kompany, where he featured 16 times in the Jupiler Pro League, before returning to further his Championship experience at Stoke City in the second-half of the campaign, making 24 appearances.
Kompany’s move to take charge at Burnley in the summer of 2022 saw him draft in the services of Harwood-Bellis once more, with Taylor making 35 appearances on a season-long loan as the Clarets secured promotion back to the top-flight.
The summer of 2023 then saw Taylor help England’s Under-21s win the 2023 Under-21 European Championships before the onset of the 2023/24 campaign led Harwood-Bellis to join Southampton on a season-long loan spell.
Taylor has so far figured 42 times to date for Russell Martin’s side who are now preparing for the Championship play-offs as they seek an immediate return back to the Premier League.
Luke Mbete
Following success in the FA Youth Cup, commanding centre-half Mbete went on to make his senior professional City debut for City one year later, being one of six Academy graduates to feature in a 6-1 Carabao Cup victory against Wycombe Wanderers at the Etihad Stadium.
Having also played a major role in helping drive City’s EDS side to PL2 title successes in both 2020/21 and 2021/22, Mbete was loaned to Huddersfield Town for the 2022/23 campaign, before that arrangement was cut short in January with Luke subsequently joining Bolton Wanderers for the remainder of the season where he registered his first goal in senior football during a 5-0 win over MK Dons.
Though he did not feature in the final, Luke also won a EFL Trophy winners’ medal in the wake of Bolton’s 4-0 win over Plymouth in the 2023 Wembley final, as he featured in Wanderers’ semi-final win over Accrington Stanley.
In August 2023, Mbete was then sent on a season-long loan to Dutch side FC Den Bosch where he has so far figured 22 times for the Keuken Kampioen Divisie side, scoring twice.
Alpha Diounkou
A talented and composed centre half, Diounkou more than made his mark in five years at City’s Academy, helping the Club secure a first-ever PL2 title in 2021 after having figured in that 2020 FA Youth Cup success.
Alpha then left City to join Spanish side Granada in August 2021, before being loaned out to San Fernando for the first-half of the 2021/22 campaign, where he made 13 appearances.
The second half of the same season then saw Diounkou link up with FC Barcelona B on-loan with that arrangement then extending into the whole of the 2022/23 season too with Diounkou going to make 39 appearances all told for the Catalan side.
For the 2023/24 season, the 23-year-old secured a loan switch to Cypriot First Division side AEK Larnaca with Alpha figuring 32 times to date this term.
Joe Hodge
A tenacious, tigerish and talented central midfield presence, after being a central pillar in City’s FA Youth Cup final success, Hodge joined League of Ireland Premier Division side Derry City on a loan spell at the start of 2021, only to be forced into an early return due to a back injury.
In the summer of 2021, Hodge moved to Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers on a permanent transfer.
Having furthered his development with Wolves’ Under-21s, Hodge subsequently went on to make his Premier League debut for the Black Country side against Chelsea in October 2022, going on to make six senior appearances in total that season.
After figuring twice more in the first half of this season, Joe then joined Championship side Queens Park Rangers on loan for the second part of the campaign and played eight times for the Loftus Road club, also registering his first goal in senior football.
Cole Palmer
Long recognised as one of the Academy’s most naturally gifted graduates, Manchester-born Palmer’s career has gone from strength to strength since that memorable FA Youth Cup triumph at St Georges’ Park where he scored City’s winning goal.
The attacking midfielder had already made his senior City debut ahead of that FA Youth Cup win, starting in a 3-0 Carabao Cup victory at Burnley in the September of 2020.
Palmer then also featured for City in the Champions League away at Marseille and was also a pivotal figure for our Under-21s as we secured a maiden PL2 title triumph, Cole contributing 13 goals and six assists.
The following season, Palmer made his City Premier League bow against Norwich before then claiming his first senior goal in that 6-1 Carabao Cup home win over Wycombe Wanderers before then following suit with a first-ever Champions League strike in a 5-1 win away at Club Brugge.
Palmer also memorably made both a Premier League appearance, coming on as a sub against Burnley, before then starting for our Under-21s on the same day in October 2021, going on to claim a hat-trick for our EDS to inspire a 5-0 win over Leicester.
Though a frustrating foot injury kept him sidelined for three months, Cole did return in time to help City go on and secure a second successive PL2 title.
By now a fully-fledged member of Pep Guardiola’s first team squad, Palmer played his part in City’s historic Treble triumph across the 2022/23 campaign helping the Club lift the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League in unforgettable fashion.
The summer of 2023 saw Cole help England’s Under-21s win the 2023 Under-21 European Championships and he then started the new campaign in style, equalising for City in the 2023 UEFA Super Cup final before we then subsequently secured a 5-4 penalty shoot-out win.
Palmer then called time on his memorable stay at City, making the move to Premier League rivals Chelsea where he has gone on to enjoy a stellar first season.
The 22-year-old has become the talisman for Mauricio Pochettino’s side and scored 24 goals to date including two hat-tricks and also won his first senior England caps with Palmer tipped to be part of England’s EURO 2024 squad.
Tommy Doyle
The captain of City’s FA Youth Cup side, Doyle had City embedded in his very DNA being the grandson of Club legends Mike Doyle and Glyn Pardoe.
As with Palmer, Doyle had already made his senior City debut prior to the 2020 FA Youth Cup final victory, starting in a 3-1 Carabao Cup win over Southampton in October 2019.
After leading the City side to victory at St Georges’ Park, the midfielder also went on to lead our Under-21s to a first-ever Premier League title triumph in the 2020/21 season.
The Academy graduate then went on to enjoy loan spells with both German Bundesliga side SV Hamburg and Cardiff City across the 2021/22 season.
At the outset of the 2022/23 season, Doyle then joined Championship side Sheffield United on a season-long loan, helping the Blades to promotion out of the Championship as well as reaching the FA Cup semi-finals.
In September 2023, the 22-year-old joined Wolves on what was a season-long loan arrangement, having made 30 appearances to date, with Tommy then securing a permanent transfer to the Premier League side last week bringing an end to his impressive City career.
Liam Delap
The son of former Stoke and Republic of Ireland star Rory Delap, son Liam soon made his presence felt at City after joining us from Derby in the summer of 2019 helping City’s Under 18s claim the 2019/20 Premier League title in his first season here.
Elevated into City’s Under-21 squad the following season, the powerful centre forward was another to make his first-team City debut prior to the 2020 FA Youth Cup final success, memorably scoring in a 2-1 Carabao Cup third round home win against Bournemouth.
Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup debuts would soon follow in the months after while a superb season at Under-21 level also saw Liam help City to a maiden PL2 title success.
Having weighed in with 24 goals Delap was subsequently voted the 2020/21 PL2 Player of the Season
Though sidelined by injury for much of the 2021/22 season, Delap still claimed eight PL2 goals as City’s youngsters secured a second successive PL2 title.
Delap then embarked on his first loan spells during the 2022/23 season, joining Stoke City for the first half of the campaign before then switching to fellow Championship side Preston after Christmas 2022, making 38 appearances all told and scoring four goals.
This term Delap has again been on loan in the Championship, this time with Hull City where the striker – now 21 – weighed in with eight goals across 32 appearances for the Tigers.
James McAtee
Since that 2020 FA Youth Cup success where his first half strike helped draw City level at 1-1, Salford-born creative midfielder McAtee has gone on to cement his reputation as another outstanding Academy graduate.
A mainstay of the EDS side that lifted the Premier League 2 title in 2020/21, McAtee was another to make his senior City bow in that 6-1 Carabao Cup win at home to Wycombe in September 2021, following that up by making his Premier League debut against Everton two months later.
McAtee proved the talisman as City’s EDS won a second successive PL2 title in 2021/22 with McAtee also voted as the PL2 Player of the Season, ending the campaign as the league’s equal top scorer with 18 goals.
In July 2022, McAtee secured his first senior loan move, joining Championship club Sheffield United where he made a major impact claiming nine goals from 43 games and helping the Blades both achieve promotion back to the top-flight as well as reaching the FA Cup semi-finals.
After taking part in City’s pre-season tour of Asia ahead of the 2023/24 season, and also appearing as a substitute in our top-flight opener away at Burnley, McAtee then went on a second successive loan spell at Bramall Lane.
Though the South Yorkshire side endured a tough time which culminated in relegation, McAtee has proved a bright spark, making 33 appearances to date, scoring five goals.
Morgan Rogers
A supremely talented left-wing talent who blends power and pace alongside panache and poise, Rogers made an immediate impact having joined City from West Brom in the summer of 2019.
It was his goal that put City 2-1 ahead early in the second half in the 2020 final and shortly after that success against Chelsea, Morgan then furthered his experience and development with a series of loan moves.
The first took him to Lincoln for the second half of the 2020/21 campaign where he would make 28 appearances all told for the Sincil Bank side, scoring six goals and helping them to the League One play-off final at Wembley where the Imps were edge out 2-1 by Blackpool.
Rogers spent the following season on loan with then Championship side Bournemouth, figuring 17 times and scoring once as he helped the Vitality Stadium side gain promotion back to the Premier League.
The second half of the 2022/23 season saw Rogers extend his Championship experience with Blackpool where he was to play 22 times all told, scoring once.
Morgan then made a permanent move away from City by signing for Middlesbrough in the summer of 2023 and he quickly became a integral part of Michael Carrick’s squad, playing 33 times and scoring seven goals before Aston Villa swooped to sign him in the January 2024 transfer window.
Rogers has positively thrived since making the move to Villa Park immediately becoming a pivotal member of Unai Emery’s impressive side with the England Under-21 international so far having played 16 times, contributing three goals.
Subs - Finley Burns
A cultured, classy centre half and a defensive mainstay of the EDS side that lifted a maiden PL2 title in 2020/21, Burns was then one of a phalanx of talented young players to make his senior debut in that Carabao Cup win over Wycombe in September 2021.
After starring for our Under-21s again across the first half of the 2021/22 campaign, he spent the second half of the season on loan at Championship side Swansea.
The 20-year-old then proved a mainstay of the EDS side that secured a historic third straight PL2 title last term before departing on loan again in the summer to League One side Stevenage on a season-long loan deal, making 43 appearances in total.
Josh McNamara
Having figured on the bench in that 2020 FA Youth Cup success, Josh then went on to help City’s Under-18s secure Premier League regional and national title success in the 20/21 season.
The England youth goalkeeper was then mainstay again the following season as City repeated our Under-18 regional and national titles successes, making 14 appearances all told.
After graduating to our Elite Development Squad in 2022/23, helping Brian Barry-Murphy’s Under-21s to a third successive PL2 title success, Josh then joined Championship club Southampton on a permanent deal last summer and went on to make 21 appearances across PL2 and the National League South for the Saints.
Alex Robertson
A powerful midfield presence with prodigious stamina and a keen eye for goal, Robertson’s talent was evident throughout the age groups at City.
Following that 2020 FA Youth Cup success where he came on as a late substitute, Alex helped both our Under-18s and EDS sides to Premier League title glory in the 2020/21 campaign figuring 25 times across the two age groups and weighing in with 11 goals.
Robertson then spent the first half of the 2021/22 season on loan with Scottish side Ross County before returning to the CFA as City’s Under-21s won a second straight PL2 title.
After overcoming injury, Alex then proved a pivotal figure once more as City made it a hat-trick of PL2 title wins in 2022/23 making 19 appearances and registering five goals.
Furthermore Alex, the son of former Australian international Mark Robertson, then emulated his father by earning his first senior Australian cap against Ecuador in March 2023.
Robertson has continued his development across the 2023/24 campaign with a season-long loan spell at League One Portsmouth where he figured 24 times, helping Pompey’s drive to secure promotion to the Championship before a thigh injury ended his season prematurely.
Sam Edozie
A talented, fleet-footed left winger who joined City from Millwall in the summer of 2020, Edozie enjoyed a stellar first season at City, following up that FA Youth Cup triumph by helping both our Under-18s and EDS sides to Premier League title triumphs in 2020/21.
Sam then made his senior debut, starting for City in the 2021 Community Shield clash against Leicester City at Wembley before going on to be a key component in Brian Barry-Murphy’s EDS side as we secured a second successive PL2 title triumph in the 2021/22 campaign.
Edozie then made the move away from City, signing a five-year contract with Southampton in the summer of 2022.
In his maiden season at the St Mary’s Stadium, he made 28 appearances all told but couldn’t prevent the Saints from being relegated out of the Premier League.
This season, Edozie has been a key part in Russell Martin’s new-look Southampton side, supplying six goals from 34 matches with Southampton poised for a Championship play-off against West Brom as they seek a swift return back to the top-flight.
Ben Knight
After being on the bench for our FA Youth Cup success Ben, who joined City from Ipswich in the summer of 2018, went on to play a leading role in our Elite Development Squad’s maiden title success in 2020/21.
All told, the attacking midfielder figured 22 times that season, contributing seven goals and five assists.
Ben then made his senior City bow, coming on as a second half substitute in the 2021 1-0 Community Shield loss against Leicester at Wembley before joining League One Crewe Alexandra on a season long loan which was subsequently blighted by injury.
Though afflicted by more injury issues last term, Knight was able to figure eight times for our EDS side, scoring twice, as we recorded a historic third straight PL2 title success.
After a careful rehabilitation period as he overcame another setback across the first half of the 2023/24 season, Ben then joined Stockport County on loan in March 2024, with the Hatters going on to secure promotion to League One.
Jayden Braaf
An exciting winger armed with explosive pace and great natural skill, following our FA Youth Cup success where he came on as a second half substitute, the Dutch winger spent the latter half of the 2020/21 on loan at Italian Serie A side Udinese, making four appearances and scoring once.
At the conclusion of the 2021/22 season Jayden then joined German side Borussia Dortmund on a permanent deal, figuring seven times for the German outfit in 3.Liga before subsequently returning to Serie A on another loan deal, this time with Hellas Verona.
After figuring six times in the Italian top-flight that term, Braaf then sealed a permanent switch to Hellas Verona in the summer of 2023.
The 21-year-old subsequently sealed a six-month loan switch to Dutch outfit Fortuna Sittard in January 2024, going on to figure five times in the Eredivisie.
Oscar Bobb
Bobb’s progress since being named on the substitutes bench in that 2020 Youth Cup final has been little short of seismic.
The supremely creative attacking midfielder went on to help City’s Under-18s to Premier League regional and national title success in 2020/21 weighing in with 11 goals from 28 games before then being elevated to our Under-21s at the start of the 21/22 campaign.
His impact was again impressive, with Bobb’s eight goal return from 34 matches helping City secure a second successive Premier League 2 title triumph.
Bobb’s impact was arguably even more profound across the 2022/23 season as City’s Under-21s made it a historic hat-trick of PL2 title wins, Oscar contributing eight goals from 35 appearances before then being elevated into City’s senior ranks last summer.
After impressing on City’s pre-season Asia Tour, Oscar was then afforded his senior debut in our 5-1 win against Fulham coming on off the bench.
He hasn’t looked back since, going on to score his first senior goal in a 3-2 Champions League win at Red Star Belgrade as well as notching a memorable and crucial maiden league strike, his brilliant injury time effort securing a vital 3-2 league win at Newcastle in January.
Having also signed a new long-term contract, become an established Norwegian international and helped City to UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup triumphs, to date Oscar has made 25 senior appearances this term, scoring twice and assisting twice and helped in City’s push for what would be a fourth straight men’s title and second successive FA Cup.
Head coach - Carlos Vicens
In the wake of guiding City to a third FA Youth Cup success, head coach Carlos Vicens followed that achievement up by guiding the young Blues to Under-18 Premier League title success at both regional and national level in May 2021.
The Spaniard was subsequently invited to join Pep Guardiola’s first-team coaching staff, joining as an assistant to the Catalan boss in July 2021.
In the ensuing three seasons, Vicens has since gone on to make a key contribution to City’s ongoing success, with his role as set-piece specialist coach garnering special appreciation from the City boss on a number of occasions as well as drawing wider admiration from the footballing fraternity.
