Here’s part one of our 2015/16 round-up, starring Jason Denayer, Patrick Roberts and Jack Byrne…
Jason Denayer (Galatasaray)
Jason Denayer’s inclusion in Belgium’s Euro 2016 squad tells you all you need to know about the 20-year old’s standing in the game.
Belgium Head Coach Marc Wilmots has described Denayer as a like-for-like replacement for the injured Vincent Kompany and so he’s expected to see minutes in France for one of the competition’s favourites.
Jason has made 27 appearances on loan at Galatasaray in all competitions in 2015/16 and they still have two more to come, including the Turkish Cup final against rivals Fernerbahce.
Expected to return to City to challenge for a first-team squad place in the summer, he could play an important role in Pep Guardiola’s debut season at the Etihad.
Patrick Roberts (Celtic)
England u19 international Patrick Roberts joined Celtic in an 18-month loan deal at the start of February but he had to be patient in waiting for his Parkhead bow.
A couple of eye-catching appearances for Celtic’s u20 selection whetted appetites North of the Border, although few expected his impact at senior level to be quite so immediate and impressive.
Following his first-team debut in March, he went on to net seven goals in 12 appearances for the Hoops, including a stunning strike in a 3-2 win over Aberdeen which sealed a fifth-successive Scottish Premiership title.
City supporters will be following his progress in Glasgow with interest as Patrick embarks on his first UEFA Champions League campaign with his loan club in 2016/17.
Jack Byrne (Cambuur)
Cambuur may have been relegated from the Dutch Eredivisie but Ireland u21 international Jack Byrne was undoubtedly a bright spot in a difficult season for the Leeuwarden outfit.
An ankle injury robbed the midfielder of a flying start to the 2015/16 season but he soon made up for lost time, showcasing his passing range, tenacity and ability to hit accurate strikes from distance.
He scored four goals in his first senior season, including one against eventual champions, PSV and Byrne was arguably the best player on Cambuur’s pitch in half of the last ten games of the season.
Recently given the opportunity to train with Ireland’s seniors, Jack would not have wanted the 2015/16 campaign to end…
Enes Unal (Gent & NAC Breda)
By his own admission, Enes Unal’s first loan of the season to Belgian Jupiler League side Gent didn’t work out as he had envisaged but the striker’s second spell, at Dutch Eerste Divisie outfit NAC Breda, is proving to be eminently more fruitful.
Unal became one of NAC’s most important players in double-quick time, netting eight goals in nine starts to fire his club to the play-offs for promotion to the Netherlands’ top flight.
He was controversially red-carded in the semi-final second leg win over Eindhoven last week but his club have appealed the decision in a bid to have their Turkish hitman available for the final against Willem II.
Divine Naah (NAC Breda)
One man who has helped his City teammate to settle in the Netherlands in Ghanaian starlet, Divine Naah.
Naah, nicknamed “Mallam” – meaning Guru, has been at NAC for 18 months now and the 20-year old was another important member of the team which has reached the Eerste Divisie promotional play-off final.
He has made 25 league appearances for Breda in 2015/16 and has scored twice with two more important games to come with that two-legged final against Willem II taking place on Thursday and Sunday.
Part two of our Loan Watch 2015/16 Season Review will be posted on Thursday, featuring Seko Fofana, Olivier Ntcham and Bruno Zuculini, among others...
