Hamilton was introduced a minute into the second half of our clash with the Italian giants at the iconic Yankee Stadium, home of the New York Yankees.
And City’s 20-year-old home-grown Academy winger went on to make a fine impact, producing an inviting cross that set up James McAtee’s headed second half equaliser and generally impressing with his application, attitude and work rate.
Though Pep Guardiola’s side were ultimately edged out 3-2 by our Italian opponents, for City icon Shaun Wright-Phillips - one of our Matchday Live special guests out in the United States - Hamilton’s display was one packed with positives aplenty.
“He’s done what people want to see from a young Academy product or a sub coming off the bench,” said the former City and England winger.
“You want to see him have an impact in the game, play a role, be creative and excite people.
“And that’s what he’s done and it’s exactly the same thing that he did in the Champions League against Red Star Belgrade [when he scored on his debut last December]
“He seems to have that way where that’s just the way he plays.
“And he will go a very long way in football just because of the way he plays and his tenacity.
“He tries to be creative, but keeps the ball at the right time and his decision making is so good for such a young player.”
The youngster’s Yankee Stadium impact was also highlighted by David James, who was one of our Matchday Live special guests reflecting on the game from our studio back in Manchester.
“It was difficult at times as Milan kept possession well but when we did have possession, he looked lively, he got the ball and wanted to attack players, and the cross was superb for James McAtee’s goal,” said the former City and England goalkeeper
“I think Hamilton showed he’s got a bit of substance with his cross for the goal which could be crucial.
“These are the things that Pep will look at and say if he can do that in these games against more than decent opposition then he can do this for us in competition.”
Though it was a second narrow reverse following last week’s 4-3 loss to Celtic in our opening tour encounter, for both James and Keith Curle, our fellow studio-based special guest on Saturday night’s Matchday Live show, the learnings – on and off the pitch - will be invaluable.
“This is an opportunity for the young players to learn about their roles and individual displays and what’s required and needed from them,” former City skipper Curle pointed out.
“It’s a great opportunity for the Academy lads being in and around the first team environment.
“And the manager and the coaches will be looking at their mannerisms now in the face of a defeat and seeing how they react.
“People say does it matter? Yes, it does matter.”
“People always think defeat is a negative, but you always learn from it. The manager will be looking for how people respond as they have to learn,” James added.
“It’s pre-season, they have got more minutes in their legs against really decent opposition.
“So in all I’m sure there will be a lot that Pep will be going ‘Good, I’ve learnt a lot and it’s about getting ready for the season.’ ”
USA Tour 2024
City are still to face Barcelona and Chelsea during the Club’s pre-season tour of the United States.
As always, mancity.com and the official app are the best places to keep across all things City during our time in the US.
Including pre-match press conferences and live open training as well as detailed and varied in-game and post-friendly coverage of all our fixtures, our website and app provide fans with a complete City experience, all from one handy place.
All US Tour matches will be broadcast live on CITY+ in the following countries: United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Norway, Sweden and United Arab Emirates.
To access these matches from one of the locations listed above, you will need an active CITY+ subscription. Those same restrictions will apply to full-match replays and Pitcam highlights.
For fans living outside of the countries named, we will have a full explainer article on how to tune in coming in due course.
Subscribers will be able to watch on the official app and mancity.com, with the option to cast matches onto their TV from mobile devices. Find out how to do this via our handy guide here.
For more information on CITY+, including subscription prices, click here.
