£30m Manchester City player who starred vs Slovan Bratislava could leave in January
Posted By Joe E
October 3, 2024
8:50 am
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Manchester City secured their first in the UEFA Champions League this season last night with a comfortable 4-0 victory away to Slovan Bratislava.
Pep Guardiola’s side took apart the Slovakian giants with ease with Phil Foden scoring his first goal of the campaign Ilkay Gundogan, Erling Haaland and James McAtee also found the back of the net for the reigning English champions.
Having lost a key player in Rodri last week for the remainder of the season, a big win in the Champions League without their midfield metronome was exactly what City needed as a confidence boost heading into the Premier League.
Yet there’s now a chance that a City player who starred against Bratislava could now leave.
Photo by JOE KLAMAR/AFP via Getty Images
James McAtee weighing up Manchester City future after first goal
According to GiveMeSport, 21-year-old midfielder McAtee is weighing up his future with City despite scoring his first goal for the Manchester giants last night in Slovakia, with the midfielder eager to play more minutes.
As per the report, City rejected bids worth £30m for the England youth international in the summer after McAtee returned from a two-year loan spell with Sheffield United, one that saw the youngster win promotion to the Premier League before going straight back down with the Blades.
With McAtee hardly playing for City this season, there’s a real chance that the academy graduate could depart Guardiola’s side if the Catalan coach remains stern on giving the midfielder as many minutes as possible.
Yet with Rodri now out injured, there’s a chance that McAtee could now see his playing time increase by some margin with a key midfielder no longer available for City for the remainder of the season.
Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
McAtee should wait until the end of the year before making a transfer decision
McAtee has, predictably, struggled to play regular minutes for City this season, with the youngster still some way off the quality of Guardiola’s current options in midfield even with Rodri out injured.
Yet with the Spaniard not available for the season, McAtee could see more minutes come his way if he continues to deliver with his few precious chances, with the midfielder catching the eye last night in Slovakia.
As a result, McAtee shouldn’t be too hasty in making a decision on his future just yet, with more minutes potentially around the corner if Guardiola liked what he saw from the youngster in Bratislava in the Champions League.
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