With places in Pep Guardiola’s side hotly-contested among a squad full of exceptional players, the loan system perfectly provides a vital taste of senior football.
In the lower leagues of the English pyramid or heading overseas, temporarily stepping away from the CFA can provide a strong education in the professional game.
Here, in order of position, we examine how our loan players performed during the 2022/23 season.
First up, goalkeepers...
Zack Steffen
Club: Middlesbrough
Appearances: 46
Upon arrival at the Riverside Stadium, Steffen was Middlesbrough’s undisputed first-choice goalkeeper throughout the campaign.
Following Chris Wilder’s departure as manager in October, the arrival of Michael Carrick at the helm reinvigorated Boro which culminated them flying up the table and qualifying for the Championship play-offs.
The United States international played a crucial role in their run into the end of season , making 42 league appearances, and playing both semi-final legs against Coventry.
James Trafford
Club: Bolton
Appearances: 52
Following a strong second half of the season on loan at Bolton in 2021/22, Trafford re-joined Ian Evatt’s side for the entirety of last term’s League One campaign.
The 20-year-old undoubtedly flourished between the sticks at the University of Bolton Stadium, making 52 appearances in all competitions – including their superb 4-0 EFL Trophy final win over Plymouth.
At the end of the campaign, Trafford was included in Lee Carsley’s England Under-21s squad for the European Championships where he played every game and didn’t concede a goal as the Young Lions won the tournament.
In the 1-0 final win over Spain, the stopper saved a stoppage-time penalty to secure the success.
Now it’s the turn of the defenders...
Taylor Harwood-Bellis
Club: Burnley
Appearances: 34
After impressing for Stoke in the Championship during the second half of last season, our 21-year-old defender was recruited by Vincent Kompany for his maiden season in charge of Burnley.
Harwood-Bellis went on to make 34 appearances in total and played a key role in the Clarets’ title success which saw them promoted back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Alongside Trafford, he featured for the European Championship-winning England Under-21s side at the end of the season.
Callum Doyle
Club: Coventry
Appearances: 47
Doyle arrived at Coventry following a tremendous season at Sunderland the season before where he helped the Black Cats earn promotion to the Championship via the League One play-offs.
And he continued his superb progression at the RICOH Arena by cementing his place in Mark Robins’ team which made it to the play-off final at Wembley.
With Doyle in the side, Coventry recorded 19 clean sheets but narrowly missed out on promotion to the top-flight after losing to Luton on penalties at the national stadium.
Luke Mbete
Clubs: Huddersfield/Bolton
Appearances: 6/9
Mbete gained valuable first team minutes in the Championship with Huddersfield at the start of the season, before joining Bolton for their League One promotion push.
Only two weeks after signing, he scored his first goal in senior football when he netted in a 5-0 win over MK Dons and helped Evatt’s side reach Wembley by playing in the EFL Trophy semi-final win over Accrington.
Joshua Wilson-Esbrand
With Coventry looking to mount a play-off push in January, the Sky Blues acquired Wilson-Esbrand until the end of the season.
The defender made good progress across his 14 appearances for the Midlands club and tasted defeat on only two occasions.
It’s the midfielders up next...
Tommy Doyle
Club: Sheffield United
Appearances: 37
Doyle enjoyed a tremendous season on loan with Sheffield United which was filled with memorable moments.
The central midfielder bagged his first goal in red and white in a 3-1 win over Coventry, but perhaps his most iconic strike for the Blades came when he struck a late, venomous effort into the top corner in a 3-2 FA Cup quarter-final win Blackburn Rovers.
In total he made 37 outings in all competitions and played a vital role in helping Sheffield United win promotion to the Premier League.
Thanks to his impressive displays for Paul Heckingbottom’s side, he too was included in Carsley’s England Under-21 squad which won the U21 European Championship.
James McAtee
Club: Sheffield United
Appearances: 43
In what was his first taste of consistent senior football, McAtee flourished in the Championship at Bramall Lane.
By the time the season came to an end, the skilful forward had scored nine goals and registered three assists which undoubtedly contributed to the Blades’ promotion to the top flight under Heckingbottom.
The 20-year-old also often proved to be the player for the big occasion, scoring crucial goals in narrow wins over Blackpool (2-1), Sunderland (2-1) and Norwich (1-0).
Lewis Fiorini
Club: Blackpool
Appearances: 14
Fiorini played a vital role in Lincoln City’s League One season two seasons ago and earned a loan move to Championship Blackpool as a result.
Unfortunately he couldn’t repeat the trick at Bloomfield Road as the Tangerines suffered relegation to the third tier.
However, the experience of second tier football in his 14 outings will prove massively valuable for the midfielder who netted his only goal of the season in an eventful 3-2 defeat to Millwall towards the end of the season.
Finally, it’s the forwards
Kayky
Clubs: Pacos de Ferreira/Bahia
Appearances: 8/8
Brazilian winger Kayky played the first half of the season at Primeira Liga side Pacos de Ferreira in Portugal where he made eight appearances including a narrow 3-2 defeat to eventual league champions Benfica.
During the winter of 2022, he left Portugal and signed for Bahia in his homeland and featured eight times in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A – scoring twice.
Liam Delap
Club: Stoke/Preston
Appearances: 23/15
Delap, the 2020/21 Premier League 2 Player of the Season, gained his first consistent taste of senior football last term with loan spells at Stoke and then Preston.
With the Potters, he made 23 appearances and scored three goals – with two arriving in respective wins over Sheffield United (3-1) and Bristol City (2-1).
The striker then made the move to Preston in January where he made a further 15 appearances in the Championship.
Ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, the 20-year-old will spend the term with Hull in the second division on loan.
