Manchester City have a rich history in producing homegrown talent from their academy, as well as spotting players which go on to have important roles in the club’s history. However, as with a lot of other players, these players need regular minutes which can’t be found at the Etihad owing to the immense squad depth within Pep Guardiola’s side.
As such, City have a huge depth of talent out on loan, with many of these players impressing in their respective loan sides this year.
We’re here to run through some of the top Manchester City loanees!
Zack Steffen, – Middlesbrough
The Facts:
Having made a high profile error in the FA Cup semi finals against Liverpool last year, a loan move made perfect sense in the way of rebuilding the American’s confidence. Whilst the start of the season proved disappointing for Boro, they, as well as Steffen, have found bags of confidence since the unveiling of Michael Carrick as manager. Steffen has produced the 5th most saves in the Championship with 102, an impressive total. With a save percentage of 68.7% to boot, as well as Middlesbrough still being in the hunt for automatic promotion at the time of writing, Steffen’s first season receiving regular game time in England has been a relative success.
Maxi’s Verdict:
Steffen will no doubt have been shook for confidence following his dropping from the USMNT, as well as the notorious blunder against Liverpool in the FA Cup semi final, but this season has proven his mettle for a challenging Championship side. Where he goes from here is the next question; whether he has a future as City’s number one remains unclear owing to their spending power, the longevity of Ederson and Guardiola’s confidence in Steffen. If I were Steffen, I’d be angling for a permanent move this season to earn back a spot on the USMNT, instead of sitting on the bench for City week in, week out.
Tommy Doyle, – Sheffield United
The Facts:
Joining the Blades following a successful loan spell with Cardiff for the backend of last season, Doyle’s stock was already high. It has hugely increased this season, as the Manchester born midfielder has become a key cog in Paul Heckingbottom’s side’s quest for automatic promotion to the Premier League. Operating in central midfield, Doyle has chipped in with three goals and three assists in 29 Championship games so far this term, whilst also averaging 0.9 tackles per 90.
Maxi’s Verdict:
Doyle has seriously impressed in a team chasing Burnley for most of the season and looking extremely likely candidates for automatic promotion. He has shown he can execute basic skill and decision making well and has always been reliable for the Blades in midfield, winning most of his duels, contributing a number of tackles and even chipping in with a few important goals and assists. He has played beyond his years and wouldn’t look out of place in a Premier League side next season. With Sheffield United’s promotion looking extremely likely, a loan move back there makes sense in terms of what City will do with him going forward, or perhaps a loan move to another challenging Championship team.
James McAtee, 20 – Sheffield United
The Facts:
Similar to Doyle, McAtee’s involvement at Sheffield United this season has proven fruitful, as the Bramall Lane faithful find themselves falling in love with not one, but two loan players.
Filling the role vacated by Morgan Gibbs-White last season was always going to be difficult, but McAtee has made it look seamless. Whilst his output may not be as high, he has still managed to chip in with eight goals and three assists this term. He plays an average of 0.9 key passes per game, takes on one dribble per game and has a pass success rate of 77.6%. For someone so young to be putting up these figures in one of the most physical and brutal leagues in the world, McAtee may prove to be one of the more underrated central/attacking midfielders in the game.
Maxi’s Verdict:
McAtee has proven he can play comfortably in the central and attacking midfield positions this season, an impressive feat at his tender age. It’s important that City find the balance however and another loan move to a top Championship side may be wise. As impressive as he and Doyle have been at Bramall Lane, it’s important their development is handled properly. That being said, there is no reason why McAtee should not be playing lower half Premier League football next season. He and his comrade have both proven themselves to be important cogs in a system that has seen Sheffield United promoted.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis, – Burnley
The Facts:
After already proving his mettle at Blackburn, Anderlecht and Stoke, it was clear that Harwood-Bellis had serious potential. He has been a revelation for Burnley this season and was starting consistently prior to an injury suffered against Bournemouth in the FA Cup third round in January. When on the pitch, Harwood-Bellis’ stats back up the praise showered on him from all corners. Averaging 1.1 tackles and 0.8 blocks, as well as two interceptions per 90 in the Championship this season, he has proven he is worth his weight in gold defensively. Add 3.2 clearances per game into that and you arguably have the definition of the model English centre half – Tall, decisive, aggressive and disciplined.
Maxi’s Verdict:
Prior to his injury, Harwood-Bellis had formed a formidable central defence partnership with fellow loanee Jordan Beyer that contributed to Burnley being just as formidable defensively as they were offensively. Whilst a return to Burnley may be on the cards next season, owing to his aggressive and disciplined playstyle Harwood-Bellis would not look out of place in any Premier League defence next season. City should possibly look at loaning him to a side such as Crystal Palace, Wolves or Brentford, all of whom play to Harwood-Bellis’ potential strengths in terms of defensive style and passing.
James Trafford, – Bolton Wanderers
The Facts:
Trafford has exploded onto the scene this season, playing an increasingly important role as Bolton look to build their way back up the pyramid. Having previously played for the Trotters last season, as they consolidated their league position, Trafford has continued to impress between the sticks this season, ranking 2nd in League One for save percentage with a 78.4% save percentage, as well as joint top for clean sheets with 21 in 43 games. He has also made the 4th highest number of saves in the league, with 120.
Maxi’s verdict:
Trafford has evidently benefitted at Bolton under manager Ian Evatt, who has previously been lauded for his style of management and how he sets his teams up. A loan to a competing Championship side shouldn’t be out of the question for next season as his development continues. Perhaps the best course of action for City to take would be to do something similar to Joe Hart’s development, where he experienced a number of loans with lower league and lower tier opposition before rooting himself as City’s number one for a long period. There’s no doubt of Trafford’s talent however – he’s been one of the best English keepers this season.
These are just some of the phenomenal loanees that have been playing their football away from the Etihad this season. We appreciate we may have missed the odd Delap here, or the occasional Joao Cancelo there, so drop us a mention on our socials if you feel we’ve missed someone!
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