Josko Gvardiol, Savinho react to McAtee’s ‘done’ message amid Man City exit news
James McAtee’s social media message caught the attention of his teammates as speculation grows around his future at Man City.
The 22-year-old has rarely featured for Pep Guardiola this season, starting just three Premier League matches and most of his minutes coming in various competitions.
McAtee was even brutally snubbed for Man City‘s FA Cup final clash against Crystal Palace, with Claudio Echeverri being handed his debut rather than giving the academy graduate a spot on the bench.
Football Insider understands that McAtee is seriously considering a Man City switch to Nottingham Forest, with the player ready to kickstart his career with a move elsewhere.
He has made just 34 appearances since making his first-team debut in 2021, and much to the frustration of supporters at the Etihad, it now seems like the ideal time for the player to move on.
James McAtee marks the end of another Man City campaign
Taking to Instagram (26 May), McAtee wrote: “Season done. Time to recharge and shift focus to the summer ahead,” with blue heart and padlock emojis.
Rico Lewis commented a thumbs-up emoji, while teammates Nathan Ake, Josko Gvardiol, and Savinho were joined by Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton in liking the post.
Pep Guardiola to drive Man City talent out the exit doors
Football Insider verdict
McAtee made more appearances during his two loan spells with Sheffield United than he has for his boyhood club, with Guardiola refusing to utilise his talents for the first team.
Phil Foden, Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, Nico O’Reilly, and Oscar Bobb are proof that the Catalan is not afraid to bring youngsters into the senior set-up, so something else must be going on.
Kevin De Bruyne’s exit from Man City could open the doors for the 22-year-old to have a bigger role at the Etihad, but with so much interest in him, it might be too little too late for the midfielder.
| Player | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| James McAtee | 34 | 7 | 0 |
Guardiola will need to do some serious thinking ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, with the signing of Omar Marmoush clearly not enough to boost the attack to its previous capabilities.
Erling Haaland also struggled in the final third, but still notching 31 goals across all competitions this term, the Norwegian star will be back and better than ever next season.
Sadly for McAtee, it seems unlikely he will be involved in the summer rebuild over the coming weeks and months, but it will be interesting to see which club he joins after being snubbed by Guardiola.