Man City set for talks amid tug of war over exit-linked ace James McAtee
Man City are set for crunch talks over James McAtee over where he will be playing football over the coming months.
The 22-year-old is one of the most talented youngsters currently at Pep Guardiola‘s disposal, alongside the likes of Nico O’Reilly, Oscar Bobb and Jahmai Simpson-Pusey.
Despite this, the attacking midfielder has only recently been able to break into the first-team lineup, but he has certainly taken his chances after scoring in three of his 12 Premier League appearances.
That is a huge plus for all involved in Manchester, with Mick Brown telling Football Insider in December that McAtee would want to leave Man City if his game time did not improve.
Now, with the academy graduate growing into a more important senior role at the Etihad Stadium, there is a difficult decision to be made before the Citizens’ trip to the Club World Cup in the United States.
Man City face important decision after James McAtee’s breakthrough season
According to the Daily Mail (14 April), Man City are set for talks with the Football Association over McAtee’s availability this summer, being eligible for the Club World Cup and the Under-21s European Championship.
Lee Carsley is set to hold discussions with City chiefs over the coming weeks to understand whether the Under-21s boss can call the attacking midfielder up for England.
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Football Insider verdict
The owners will seriously be wanting to add another piece of silverware to the cabinet this summer, so with Guardiola under pressure at Man City, it seems unlikely that McAtee will make an impact at the Club World Cup.
Of course, fans are desperate for the 22-year-old to be given more opportunities under the Catalan, especially given how incredible a career Phil Foden has had so far in City colours.
| Player | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| James McAtee | 31 | 7 | 0 |
Allowing the midfielder to go to the Under-21s European Championship makes far more sense. Upsetting him by leaving him on the bench in the States would only push him out the exit doors.
Mick Brown told Football Insider that McAtee could still leave Man City ahead of the summer, but with the player now being given more chances by Guardiola, fans would be furious if that were to happen.
Some fans are expecting McAtee to be the next Foden, but if he is to leave on a permanent deal this summer, that would cut his City career very short, and rather disappointingly.