Manchester City F.C. Reserves and Academy

MCFC Elite Development Squad
Full name Manchester City Elite Development Squad
Nickname(s) The Citizens, City, The Boy Blues
Ground Academy Stadium
Sportcity
Manchester
Capacity 7,000 (5,000 seated)
Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak
Manager Patrick Vieira
League NextGen series and Under 21 Premier League

Manchester City is represented at Reserve level for football by the Elite Development Squad, also referred to as just the Elite Squad,[1] or EDS, a predominantly 'Under-21' side that replaced the previous (more senior) Reserve team in a move to focus on youth development post-academy. The club is represented at the 'Under-18' level by the Manchester City Academy team.

Elite Development Squad

The Elite Development Squad[2] from season 2012–13 plays in the Under 21 Premier League[3] and previously played in the Premier Reserve League North. Starting with the 2011–12 season, the EDS competed in the NextGen Series competition,[4] a Champions League format tournament only open to a select group of 'Under-19' teams located in western Europe.[5] The NextGen Series organisers invited the 16 teams competing in the inaugural season of this new competition based on which clubs were considered to have the best academies in Europe.[6] The EDS will continue to play fixtures in both the Manchester Senior Cup and Lancashire Senior Cup plus several other matches and tournaments such as the Central League Cup.

Manchester City have fielded a reserve team since 1892, when the reserves played in the Lancashire Combination. The reserves were champions of the Lancashire Combination in 1901–02.[7] The club left the Lancashire Combination in 1911 to join the Central League upon its formation. The City reserve team then played in the Central League until 2000, winning it on three occasions in the 1977–78, 1986–87 and 1999–2000 seasons. In 2006 the club re-entered the Central League – now the Pontin's League (West) – but this time in order to provide games for the 'Under-17' age group of players.

Home ground

The EDS currently plays all of its home fixtures at the CFA Academy stadium in Manchester.

NextGen Series

The NextGen Series is an international football tournament like no other, where twenty-four of the world’s best football clubs showcase their stars of the future in an exciting international knockout competition. The NextGen Series heralds a thrilling new era in competitive football, featuring the next generation of world-class players who have been trained and nurtured by some of the greatest clubs in Europe. The Tournament gives players and their clubs the chance to take part in a challenging international competition, culminating in a Final to win the coveted NextGen Series Trophy. It kicked off on August 17, 2011 and includes famous clubs such as Barcelona, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Sporting Lisbon and Liverpool, producers of stars such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Steven Gerrard. The opening season saw Inter emerge champions after beating Ajax in a thrilling penalty shoot-out. For football fans the tournament is a great chance to watch young players in the making and to experience the new football stars of the future. The twenty-four clubs are divided into six groups of four, where each club will contest a home and an away fixture against each group member. Many of these fixtures will be taking place in their first team stadiums, such as Celtic Park, Estádio José Alvalade, Anfield and Villa Park. The top two teams from each group and the four teams finishing 3rd who have amassed the most points will enter the knock-out stages. These will be played over one leg, with each winner progressing to the next round, culminating in the Final. There will also be a 3rd/4th place play-off.

Squad numbers

The squad numbers depicted for the EDS players in this article are MCFC first team squad numbers - which means that these are the shirt numbers that the EDS players will wear if and when team-sheeted to play for the MCFC first team in either a friendly or competitive game. The MCFC official first team squad consists of about 40 players, which is why the EDS players' squad numbers start in the region of the high thirties.

The MCFC first team squad numbers are normally assigned and published in late July during the close season and they remain constant for the entire duration of the upcoming season (meaning that a squad number that is assigned to a player in the close season who subsequently wears that number in a competitive match, but who later leaves the club during that same season, will NOT be assigned to another player during the remainder of that season).

Current squad

As of 19 January 2015[8]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
48 Republic of Ireland GK Ian Lawlor
53 England MF James Horsfield
61 France FW Thierry Ambrose
66 France MF Seko Fofana
67 Belgium DF Mathias Bossaerts
68 France MF Olivier Ntcham
69 Spain DF Jose Angel Tasende
70 England MF George Evans
72 Nigeria FW Kelechi Iheanacho
73 England MF George Glendon
74 England MF Brandon Barker
76 England FW Jordy Hiwula
No. Position Player
78 Spain FW José Ángel Pozo
80 England DF Ashley Smith-Brown
82 Spain DF Pablo Maffeo
83 England MF Kean Bryan
85 England MF Denzeil Boadu
87 Portugal MF Jorge Intima
88 England GK Angus Gunn
Republic of Ireland MF Jack Byrne
Sweden FW Zacharias Faour
Norway GK Eirik Holmen Johansen
England DF Ellis Plummer

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
58 England DF Shay Facey (at New York City until 1 January 2016)
68 England DF Greg Leigh (at Crewe Alexandra until 1 January 2015)
71 Belgium DF Jason Denayer (at Celtic until 30 June 2015)
75 Austria MF Sinan Bytyqi (at SC Cambuur until 30 June 2015)
Wales GK Billy O'Brien (at Hyde until 30 June 2015)
England FW Devante Cole (at Barnsley until 5 January 2015)

Reserve/EDS Manager history

Manager From To Honours
England Tony Book 1986 1996 1987 Central League
Scotland Asa Hartford 1996 2004 2000 Central League, 2001 Manchester Senior Cup
England Steve Wigley 2004 2006 2005 Manchester Senior Cup
England Frankie Bunn 2006 2007
Wales Kenny Jackett 2007 2007 2007 Manchester Senior Cup
Scotland Ian Miller 2007 2008 2008 Central League
Wales Glyn Hodges 2008 2009
England Andy Welsh 2009 2012 2010 Manchester Senior Cup
Italy Attilio Lombardo 2012 2013
France Patrick Vieira 2013 present

Academy

MCFC Academy
Full name Manchester City Academy
Nickname(s) The Citizens, City, The Boy Blues
Ground Academy Stadium
Sportcity
Manchester
Capacity 7,000 (5,000 seated)
Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak
Manager Jason Wilcox
League Premier Academy League

Manchester City's Academy is responsible for youth development at the club, with the goal of developing young players for the future. The academy is one of the most revered in the country and since its new incarnation in 1998 it has produced more professional players than any other Premier League club.[9] To date, the club has produced 15 graduates who have received full international call-ups from their various countries; 14 that have represented their respective countries at the 'Under-21' or 'Under-20' level; 35 who have progressed on to become City first team players at some point; and more than 60 that are currently playing professional league football.[9] Carrington is responsible for such graduates as Micah Richards, Michael Johnson, QPR's Nedum Onuoha and Shaun Wright-Phillips, Fulham's Dickson Etuhu and Stoke City's Glenn Whelan and Stephen Ireland.

History

The club's first youth team was set up by Albert Alexander in the 1920s,[10] known as the 'A' Team. From 1951 the 'A' team competed in the Lancashire League against reserve and youth teams of other clubs from North West England. From 1955 a second youth team, the 'B' team, typically comprising younger players than the 'A' team, competed in Division Two of the Lancashire League.

Youth football in England was restructured by the Football Association in 1997, with the introduction of the Academy system. Current International Youth Academy Director Jim Cassell joined from Oldham Athletic in July 1997 and was responsible for building Manchester City's youth structure, which gained Academy accreditation in 1998.

In its new incarnation, the 'A' and 'B' teams were replaced with 'Under-19' and 'Under-17' teams, which competed in the FA Premier Youth League. Since gaining FA approval the Academy has produced 35 first team players, 15 of whom have gained full international honours, including England internationals Shaun Wright-Phillips, Micah Richards and Joey Barton. The academy not only produces players for Manchester City but also players that have the talent to make the grade elsewhere, with players such as Glenn Whelan building a successful career at Sheffield Wednesday and now Stoke City and Dickson Etuhu similarly making his career at Fulham

Present day

Since the club was taken over in September 2008, with extra capital and increased ambitions the club looked to expand their successful academy further afield[11] and City in the Community programme in Manchester. In 2010, the Platt Lane complex was upgraded to include new facilities, such as a gym, changing rooms, as well as office and seminar space[12] The club also launched an instructional video website aimed at helping the new skills of prospective footballers[13]

Squad numbers

The squad numbers (if any) depicted for the Academy players in this article are MCFC first team squad numbers - which means that these are the shirt numbers that the Academy players will wear if and when team-sheeted to play for the MCFC first team in either a friendly or competitive game. When these players represent the MCFC Academy team in this season's Premier Academy League fixtures they wear shirt numbers assigned exclusively to the Academy players.

Current squad

As explained for the EDS player roster above, dual-squad players listed on the Academy roster below are identified with an asterisk.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
England GK Charlie Albinson
England GK Daniel Grimshaw
Norway GK Kjetil Haug
England DF Tosin Adarabioyo
Spain DF Elan Assiana
England DF Cameron Humphreys
England DF Joshua Murray
England DF Charlie Oliver
England DF Nathaniel Oseni
Wales DF Sam Tattum
England DF Yvan Wassi
Nigeria DF Chidiebere Nwakali
England MF Callum Bullock
England MF David Brooks
No. Position Player
Netherlands MF Javairo Dilrosun
Spain MF Manu Garcia
England MF James Hardy
England MF Tom Holland
Netherlands MF Rodney Kongolo
England MF Aaron Nemane
Norway MF Martin Samuelsen
Romania MF Emanuel Vasi
England MF Marcus Wood
England FW Isaac Buckley-Ricketts
Kosovo FW Bersant Celina
England FW Joe Nuttall
Lebanon MF AbdelGhany Ramadan
Spain MF Brahim Abdelkader Diaz

Academy Manager history

Manager From To Honours
Scotland Neil McNab 1994 1997
England Jim Cassell 1997 2009 2008 Youth Cup
England Steve Eyre 2009 2011
England Adam Sadler 2011 2013
England Jason Wilcox 2013 present

Academy graduates (1998–present)

Academy graduates who still play for Manchester City, including those that are currently out on loan to other clubs, are highlighted in green.
Updated 24 September 2014
Player Current Club Born International Honours Debut Manager
Shaun Wright-Phillips England Queens Park Rangers England London Full England Caps Age 17 v Burnley, 24 Aug. 1999[14] Joe Royle
Terry Dunfield Free Agent Canada Vancouver Full Canada Caps Age 19 v Chelsea, 11 May 2001[15]
Chris Shuker Tranmere Rovers England Liverpool Age 19 v Notts County, 11 Sep. 2001[16] Kevin Keegan
Dickson Etuhu Free Agent Nigeria Kano Full Nigeria Caps Age 19 v Birmingham City, 15 Sep. 2001[17]
Leon Mike Retired England Manchester Age 19 v Portsmouth, 16 Nov. 2001[18]
Chris Killen Free Agent New Zealand Wellington Full New Zealand Caps Age 20 v Rotherham United, 24 Nov. 2001[19]
Tyrone Mears Free Agent England Manchester Full Jamaican Caps Age 19 v Nottingham Forest, 30 Mar. 2002[20]
Joey Barton England Queens Park Rangers England Liverpool Full England Cap Age 21 v Bolton Wanderers, 5 Apr. 2003[21]
Stephen Jordan England Fleetwood Town England Liverpool Age 21 v Bolton Wanderers, 5 Apr. 2003[22]
Willo Flood Scotland Aberdeen Republic of Ireland Dublin Ireland U21 Age 18 v The New Saints, 28 Aug. 2003[23]
Glenn Whelan England Stoke City Republic of Ireland Dublin Full Ireland Caps Age 19 v The New Saints, 28 Aug. 2003[24]
Stephen Elliott England Carlisle United Republic of Ireland Dublin Full Ireland Caps Age 20 v Bolton Wanderers, 21 Feb. 2004[25]
Bradley Wright-Phillips United States New York Red Bulls England London England U20 Age 19 v Barnsley, 21 Sep. 2004[26]
Nedum Onouha England Queens Park Rangers Nigeria Warri England U21 Age 18 v Arsenal, 24 Oct. 2004[27]
Jonathan D'Laryea England North Ferriby United England Manchester Age 19 v Arsenal, 24 Oct. 2004[28]
Lee Croft Scotland St. Johnstone England Manchester England U20 Age 19 v Bolton Wanderers, 7 Mar. 2005[29]
Stephen Ireland England Stoke City Republic of Ireland Cork Full Ireland Caps Age 19 v Bolton Wanderers, 18 Sep. 2005[30] Stuart Pearce
Micah Richards Italy Fiorentina (loan) England Birmingham Full England Caps Age 17 v Arsenal, 22 Oct. 2005[31]
Ishmael Miller England Blackpool England Manchester England U21 Age 19 v Wigan Athletic, 18 Mar. 2006[32]
Michael Johnson Retired England Manchester England U21 Age 18 v Wigan Athletic, 21 Oct. 2006[33]
Daniel Sturridge England Liverpool England Birmingham Full England Caps Age 17 v Reading, 3 Feb. 2007[34]
Kasper Schmeichel England Leicester City Denmark Copenhagen Full Denmark Caps Age 19 v West Ham United, 11 Aug. 2007[35] Sven-Göran Eriksson
Shaleum Logan Scotland Aberdeen England Manchester Age 19 v Bristol City, 29 Aug. 2007[36]
Kelvin Etuhu England Bury Nigeria Kano Age 19 v Norwich City, 25 Sep. 2007[37]
Ched Evans Free Agent Wales Rhyl Full Wales Caps Age 18 v Norwich City, 25 Sep. 2007[38]
Sam Williamson Free Agent England Manchester Age 20 v Portsmouth, 20 Apr. 2008[39]
Vladimír Weiss Qatar Lekhwiya SC Slovakia Bratislava Full Slovakia Caps Age 19 v Bolton Wanderers, 24 May 2009[40] Mark Hughes
Dedryck Boyata England Manchester City Belgium Brussels Full Belgium Caps Age 19 v Middlesbrough, 2 Jan. 2010[41] Roberto Mancini
Abdisalam Ibrahim Greece Olympiacos [42] Somalia Mogadishu Norway U21 Age 18 v Scunthorpe United, 24 Jan. 2010[43]
Greg Cunningham England Bristol City Republic of Ireland Galway Full Ireland Caps Age 18 v Scunthorpe United, 24 Jan. 2010[44]
Alex Nimely England Port Vale Liberia Monrovia Liberia U20 / England U20 Age 18 v Burnley, 3 Apr. 2010[45]
Javan Vidal England Tamworth England Manchester England U20 Age 21 v West Bromwich Albion, 22 Sep. 2010[46]
Ben Mee England Burnley England Manchester England U21 Age 20 v West Bromwich Albion, 22 Sep. 2010[47]
John Guidetti Scotland Celtic (loan) Sweden Stockholm Full Sweden CapsAge 18 v West Bromwich Albion, 22 Sep. 2010[48]
Chris Chantler Scotland Kilmarnock England Manchester Age 20 v Juventus, 16 Dec. 2010[49]
Abdul Razak Greece OFI Crete Ivory Coast Abidjan Full Ivory Coast Caps Age 18 v West Bromwich Albion, 5 Feb. 2011
Ryan McGivern England Port Vale Northern Ireland Newry Full Northern Ireland Caps Age 21 v Sunderland, 3 Apr. 2011[50]
Reece Wabara England Doncaster Rovers England Birmingham England U20 Age 19 v Bolton Wanderers, 22 May 2011[51]
Karim Rekik Netherlands PSV (loan) Netherlands Rotterdam Full Netherlands Cap Age 16 v Birmingham City, 21 Sep. 2011
Luca Scapuzzi Free Agent Italy Milan Age 20 v Birmingham City, 21 Sep. 2011
Denis Suárez Spain Sevilla Spain Vigo Spain U19 European Championship winner Age 17 v Wolverhampton Wanderers, 26 Oct. 2011
Jérémy Hélan England Sheffield Wednesday France Paris France U19 Age 20 v Aston Villa, 25 Sep. 2012
Marcos Lopes France Lille (loan) Brazil Belém de Maria Portugal U21 Age 17 v Watford, 5 Jan. 2013
Emyr Huws England Wigan Wales Llanelli Full Wales Cap Age 20 v Blackburn Rovers, 15 Jan. 2014 Manuel Pellegrini
José Ángel Pozo England Manchester City Spain Málaga Spain U18 Age 18 v Sheffield Wednesday, 24 Sep. 2014

Honours

Academy

References

  1. Bandini, Paolo; Smyth, Rob (25 August 2010). "Watching EastEnders, and The Elite Squad". The Guardian (London).
  2. "What is the Elite Development Squad?". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 27 January 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
  3. "Barclays Under 21 Premier League Preview". mcfc.co.uk. 8 August 2012.
  4. "NextGen: The Season Starts Here". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 15 July 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
  5. "NextGen Series: Mark Allen Explains". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 22 June 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
  6. "Now the top kids in Europe get a Champions League of their own". www.dailymail.co.uk (Associated Newspapers Ltd.). 22 June 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  7. Baskcomb, Julian (ed.) (1997). Manchester City F.C. Official Handbook 1997–1998. Leicester: Polar.
  8. "CITY EDS". mcfc.co.uk. 14 August 2014.
  9. 9.0 9.1 "Manchester City launch online football skills academy". bbc.co.uk. 10 August 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  10. James, Gary (2006). Manchester City – The Complete Record. Derby: Breedon. ISBN 1-85983-512-0. p241
  11. "Blues Academy to go global". MEN Media. 2 July 2009. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  12. "Manchester City splash the cash on Platt Lane academy". MEN Media. 7 August 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  13. "Manchester City Ecademy". mcfc.co.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  14. "The Graduates: No.1 Shaun Wright-Phillips". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 5 October 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  15. "The Graduates: No.2 Terry Dunfield". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 5 October 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  16. "The Graduates: No.3 Chris Shuker". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 6 October 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  17. "The Graduates: No.4 Dickson Etuhu". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 6 October 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  18. "The Graduates: No.5 Leon Mike". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 7 October 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  19. "The Graduates: No.6 Chris Killen". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 7 October 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  20. "The Graduates: No.7 Tyrone Mears". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 8 October 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  21. "The Graduates: No.8 Joey Barton". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 8 October 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  22. "The Graduates: No.9 Stephen Jordan". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 9 October 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  23. "The Graduates: No.10 Willo Flood". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 9 October 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  24. "The Graduates: No.11 Glenn Whelan". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 10 October 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
  25. "The Graduates: No.12 Stephen Elliott". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 10 October 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
  26. "The Graduates: No.13 Bradley Wright-Phillips". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 11 October 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
  27. "The Graduates: No.14 Nedum Onouha". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 11 October 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
  28. "The Graduates: No.15 Jonathan D'Laryea". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 12 October 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  29. "The Graduates: No.16 Lee Croft". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 12 October 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  30. "The Graduates: No.17 Stephen Ireland". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 13 October 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  31. "The Graduates: No.18 Micah Richards". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 13 October 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  32. "The Graduates: No.19 Ishmael Miller". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 13 October 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  33. "The Graduates: No.20 Michael Johnson". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 18 October 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  34. "The Graduates: No.21 Daniel Sturridge". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 19 October 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  35. "The Graduates: No.22 Kasper Schmeichel". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 19 October 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  36. "The Graduates: No.23 Shaleum Logan". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 20 October 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  37. "The Graduates: No.24 Kelvin Etuhu". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 20 October 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  38. "The Graduates: No.25 Ched Evans". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 25 October 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  39. "The Graduates: No.26 Sam Williamson". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 25 October 2011. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  40. "The Graduates: No.27 Vladimír Weiss". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 7 November 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  41. "The Graduates: No.28 Dedryck Boyata". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 7 November 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  42. "Manchester City youngster quits Etihad Stadium for Olympiakos". Daily Star. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  43. "The Graduates: No.29 Abdisalam Ibrahim". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 8 November 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  44. "The Graduates: No.30 Greg Cunningham". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 8 November 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  45. "The Graduates: No.31 Alex Nimely". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 9 November 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  46. "The Graduates: No.32 Javan Vidal". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 9 November 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  47. "The Graduates: No.33 Ben Mee". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 10 November 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
  48. "The Graduates: No.34 John Guidetti". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 10 November 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
  49. "The Graduates: No.35 Chris Chantler". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 14 November 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
  50. "The Graduates: No.36 Ryan McGivern". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 14 November 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
  51. "The Graduates: No.37 Reece Wabara". mcfc.co.uk. (Manchester City Football Club). 15 November 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  52. "Manchester City truimph in FA Youth Cup". bbc.co.uk. 16 April 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2010.

External links