It’s been a magnificent year for the Elite Development squad in Patrick Vieira’s maiden year in charge.
His young side were runners-up in the inaugural U21 Premier League Cup, and made it all the way to the u21 Premier League semi-finals, when they were defeated on penalties by eventual Champions Chelsea.
Meanwhile, at u19 level, City excelled on the European stage, qualifying from a tough UEFA Youth League group including Bayern Munich and CSKA Moscow, before triumphing over Atletico Madrid in the Spanish capital to reach the quarter finals.
We’ve managed to narrow it down to the final four, but who made our shortlist?
First up, it’s City and England u19 defender, Shay Facey.
The 2013/2014 campaign has been a resounding success for the England youth international.
In a year when he made his first senior appearance in South Africa against SuperSport United, Shay has continued to impress EDS manager Patrick Vieira and was handed vice-captain duties, wearing the armband in the absence of regular skipper Marcos Lopes.
Since the season started last August, Shay seemed to improve every week and his solid defensive partnership with Jason Denayer helped City reach the quarter finals of the UEFA Youth League, the playoffs of the U21 Premier League and the latter stages of another two domestic competitions.
His 34 appearances in all competitions this season have not only made him a player of the year nominee, but he was also given a 2-year contract in April 2014.
We’ll be revealing one nominee each day and voting opens on mcfc.co.uk on Friday 11 July. The winner will be announced at City Live in August.
