Pep Guardiola’s side progressed to the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 3-1 second leg victory at the Etihad Stadium following our victory in the Danish capital by the same scoreline.
We finished the game with four Academy players on the pitch in Rico Lewis, Oscar Bobb, Micah Hamilton and Jacob Wright, who was making his European debut, with Phil Foden on the bench following his heroics in the Manchester derby on Sunday along with Mahamadou Susoho.
Women’s team captain Houghton, who was a guest on Matchday Live, says Guardiola will give chances to youngsters that show the right attitude when they train with the first team.
“I’m really pleased for Jacob,” she said. “He typifies the idea that if you work hard and you’re a really good lad, you do get your opportunities.
“He made his debut in the FA Cup [win over Huddersfield] and to be able to make a Champions League debut with a team that’s won the Club World Cup and the Champions League is special.
“These boys that get selected to train, it’s for different reasons, not just talent but also their mentality and attitude and you get rewarded for that.
“It’s unbelievable. Micah Hamilton coming on as well. His first game was in the Champions League and scoring a goal, you’ll get opportunities if you’re patient and train well.”
Foden recently passed 250 appearances for City and has long been established in Guardiola’s squad.
Lewis and Bobb, who started the win over FC Copenhagen, are following in his path and Houghton says that Academy players can look to them for inspiration.
“They’ve been in the position they’re in now so they are the most realistic people you would look to,” she added.
“Be like: ‘What did Phil do to get in the team?’ ‘How did he stay there?’ ‘How do you become a regular starter?’
“Because Phil in the first team, the first few years, didn’t start too many games. He would come on, play cup games, but I think we’ve got a manager who knows how to cope with those players.
“He knows how to get the best out of them and that’s been proved over the last few months.”
Still only 18, Wright has been with the Academy since the age of eight and has worked hard to get his breakthrough.
Former City goalkeeper David James says there is an enthusiasm around the squad with people who love football.
“I was talking with Joleon Lescott the other day about Phil Foden, he’s a guy that would walk around the hotel with a football, doing tricks,” he said.
“When you’ve got that sort of mentality around, and a manager who has the same sort of mentality, if you haven’t got it, you’re going to look odd. Naturally you’re going to want to develop it.”
