James McAtee made his Premier League debut three years ago, a three-minute cameo against Everton. The day ended with Gary Neville labeling him a David Silva clone in the comments.
Someone must have lost the lab code because he has since played three minutes of top-flight football for Manchester City.
The two years he spent on loan at Sheffield United, through promotion and relegation campaigns, served to accelerate McAtee’s development and the feeling at City in the summer (reflected by Pep Guardiola’s public praise) was that the time had come. for the last jewel of the academy to shine.
As Nottingham Forest, Lens, Lille and many others came knocking, Guardiola told sporting director Txiki Begiristain that McAtee was not going to be loaned or sold, that City needed his prowess in tiny pockets to unlock stubborn defences. The idea had been to introduce him slowly at the end of the games and let him express himself.
McAtee was prepared for this. At the first stop of his preseason tour in North Carolina, he spoke enthusiastically (or as enthusiastically as a self-effacing Salfordian can) about how this period wasn’t about minutes per se, but about breaking through. Earn Guardiola’s trust. Leave your mark when you allow it, knowing that patience is required. “My dream is to play for this club,” he smiled. ‘I just want to learn from the best. I need to win games.’
However, his last two months, watching almost exclusively from the sidelines as City won just once in 13 games before Sunday’s trip to Leicester City, would test anyone’s perseverance. Watching McAtee, in his big club coat, wander around the technical areas at full-time of the 1-1 draw against Everton on Boxing Day while others shook hands on the pitch was to see someone a little lost. It was hard not to feel a pang of sympathy.
James McAtee has only played three minutes of Premier League action for Manchester City
After much interest over the summer, Pep Guardiola insisted McAtee should stay
The youth player was compared to club legend David Silva after his three-minute debut.
It was also hard not to wonder if such a naturally gifted talent could have impacted the game. Guardiola talks about McAtee’s ability in tight spaces. The spaces are not much smaller than against Everton at home. And at this point in this tortuous race, what do City really have to lose if it doesn’t work out?
The eight appearances in all competitions currently accumulated, spanning 333 minutes, might have been acceptable for McAtee in a normal season. However, circumstances have changed dramatically and this has become a situation of defeats, chronic injury problems and individual falls for those severely fatigued.
Guardiola understandably leaned on the old pros as City went from one disappointment to another. Passing on the responsibility of fixing the problems, players who have given him so much in the past and McAtee’s other problem is that central midfield, where he really flourishes, is an area where Guardiola is always conservative with youngsters.
However, there may have been a time to try something new at a time when City’s recent sales of their youngsters (Cole Palmer, Liam Delap, Romeo Lavia, Morgan Rogers, Taylor Harwood-Bellis) are sparking debate.
There are genuine similarities between Palmer and McAtee, with no obvious reason why the latter couldn’t emulate the Chelsea talisman, given that it was he who always shone brightest in the academy system.
Comparisons can be made with their international careers. When Palmer was struggling for minutes at City, he went out with the England under-21 team and more often than not ended up being the one to shine. McAtee is going through it now.
He sets the pace for the Young Lions, scores crucial goals and is trusted in a team full of Premier League regulars. That tells you something, just as it did with Palmer.
In the lead-up to success at the 2023 European Under-21 Championship, Palmer’s minutes were so low at club level that he did not actually start in the tournament. He finished it as the beating heart of England. The class always says it.
The recent sales of several notable City youngsters such as Cole Palmer are sparking debate
McAtee came through the academy with the likes of Palmer and current City star Rico Lewis (third from left)
The 22-year-old has become a crucial figure in the England Under-21 team despite his limited minutes at club level.
England will be desperate that City’s participation in the Club World Cup does not prevent them from choosing McAtee for next summer’s tournament because without him, they lose a huge amount of ingenuity. The FA have noted that he has really stepped up with Noni Madueke and Harvey Elliott elsewhere, and see him as someone who can step up with the seniors.
The euros would not be a problem if McAtee forced an exit from the Etihad Stadium next month. And he would need to force it, given Guardiola’s recent comments that he does not want the team to shrink further after the window. West Ham have been on the lookout and there is a queue.
You will have seen his half-hour away at Slovan Bratislava in October, scoring his first goal for the club in a move made in Manchester, engineered by Rico Lewis and Phil Foden, whom McAtee studies in training.
“I think one of the hardest things to do is not play and get right on the field,” McAtee said afterward. “But I have to keep doing what I’m doing, keep my head down and keep up with the guys as much as I can.”
Since then, he participated in the rout of Sparta Prague and performed well in midfield during the Carabao Cup loss to Tottenham. McAtee, a 69th-minute substitute against Feyenoord, came away worried about the repercussions of his contribution to the cause as City conspicuously squandered a three-goal lead and was assured it had nothing to do with the capitulation.
Those around him convinced the youngster of this, but it might be more difficult for the club to convince such a promising prospect that this should remain his home.