Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

is represented at Reserve level for

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

by the Elite Development Squad, also referred to as just the Elite Squad, or EDS, a predominantly Under-23 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. City currently hold a treble of 2021–22 Premier League titles at Senior, U-23 and U-18 level. All three titles were successfully retained for the second consecutive season.

Elite Development Squad

The Elite Development Squad from season 2012–13 player in the Under 21 Premier League and previously played in the Premier Reserve League North. Starting with the 2011–12 season, the EDS competed in the

NextGen Series The NextGen Series was a European football club cup competition for under-19 footballers. It was designed to provide players with the opportunity to match themselves against other elite European footballers of their agegroup in a competitive envi ...

competition, a Champions League format tournament only open to a select group of 'Under-19' teams located in western Europe. 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. At the time, the EDS continued to play fixtures in both the

Manchester Senior Cup The Manchester FA Senior Cup (originally known as the Manchester and District Challenge Cup, later the Manchester Cup) is an annual football tournament held between the clubs of the Manchester Football Association which was first played in 1885 ...

and

Lancashire Senior Cup The Lancashire County Football Association Cup (commonly known as the Lancashire Senior Cup) is a football knockout tournament involving teams from Lancashire, England. It is a County Cup competition of the Lancashire County Football Association ...

plus several other matches and tournaments such as the Central League Cup. In 2016-17 the U-21 Premier League was renamed as

Premier League 2 The Professional Development League is a system of youth football leagues that are managed, organised and controlled by the Premier League or by the Football League. It was introduced by the Football Association via the Elite Player Performanc ...

and the age limit was raised to U-23. City won their first title at this level in the 2020–21 season, and retained their title in 2021–22. The

UEFA Youth League The UEFA Youth League is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) since 2013. In its current format, it is contested by the youth teams of the clubs competing in the UEFA Champions League ...

launched in 2013–14, replacing the NextGen seriex, as an U-19 competition for the youth teams of Champions League participants and national champions at U-18 level. Teams fielded by City in this competition were therefore a hybrid of their EDS and academy squads. Their best performance to date has been a semi-final appearance in 2017–18. 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. The club left the Lancashire Combination in 1911 to join the

Central League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consist ...

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. In recent seasons, Manchester City have purchased, registered and loaned young international players as part of their development strategy for the

City Football Group City Football Group Limited (CFG) is a holding company that administers association football clubs. The group is owned by three organisations; of which 81% is majority owned by Newton Investment and Development LLC, 18% by the American firm Sil ...

. Although these players are officially Manchester City players, they have never made competitive appearances for City's senior or youth teams and may in future be transferred out before doing so. In 2022, FIFA have implemented new rules which will now restrict loans of this nature.

Home ground

The EDS play all of their home fixtures at the Academy Stadium.

Squad numbers

The squad numbers depicted for the EDS players in this article are the 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 current MCFC official first team squad consists of only about 20 players, however, the EDS players' squad numbers traditionally start in the region of the middle forties. For the

, players use the 1–11 numbering system whilst

squad numbers In team sports, the number, often referred to as the uniform number, squad number, jersey number, shirt number, sweater number, or similar (with such naming differences varying by sport and region) is the number worn on a player's uniform, to ...

(including player names) are used for the

EFL Trophy The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Le ...

. 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

EDS players out on loan

These are EDS players who have previously made competitive appearances for the Manchester City Academy, EDS or First Team, or have been brought with the explicit intention to join the first team in future.

City Football Group players out on loan

These are Manchester City players who are usually on loan as part of the CFG development strategy, are yet to make a competitive appearance for the club's Academy, EDS or First Team, or are over the age of 23.

Reserve/EDS Manager history

Academy

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.

History

The club's first youth team was set up by Albert Alexander in the 1920s, 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 The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the ...

in 1997, with the introduction of the

Academy An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...

system. Current International Youth Academy Director

Jim Cassell Jim Cassell is a former Youth Academy Director at Manchester City. He has been responsible for the development of players such as Shaun Wright-Phillips, Joey Barton, Stephen Ireland, Nedum Onuoha, Daniel Sturridge, Michael Johnson and Micah R ...

joined from

Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The history of 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 in 1998 the academy has produced 78 players for Manchester City's first team, 28 of whom have gained full international honours, including

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

internationals

Shaun Wright-Phillips Shaun Cameron Wright-Phillips (born 25 October 1981) is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger. He played in the Premier League and Football League for Manchester City, Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers, in Major L ...

Micah Richards Micah Lincoln Richards (born 24 June 1988) is an English former professional footballer, sports pundit for Sky Sports and BBC Sport, and as an ambassador of Manchester City. As a player, he was a right back who played in the Premier League and ...

Joey Barton Joseph Anthony Barton (born 2 September 1982) is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He made 269 appearances in the Premier League, including 130 for Manchester City. He is currently the man ...

Daniel Sturridge Daniel Andre Sturridge (; born 1 September 1989) is an English professional footballer who last played as a striker. As well as representing England, he has played in the Premier League for Manchester City, Chelsea, Bolton Wanderers, Liverpool ...

and

Phil Foden Philip Walter Foden (born 28 May 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Manchester City and the England national team. He is considered one of the best young players in the world. Foden's breakthrough ...

. 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 Ben Mee who's had a successful career at

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...

and

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...

Jadon Sancho Jadon Malik Sancho (born 25 March 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Manchester United and the England national team. Widely regarded as one of the best young players in the world, he is known for his ...

Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional footb ...

and

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

Kelechi Iheanacho Kelechi Promise Iheanacho () (spelled ''Ịheanachọ'' in Igbo) (born 3 October 1996) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Leicester City and the Nigeria national team. Iheanacho began his senior career at ...

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

and

Kieran Trippier Kieran John Trippier (; born 19 September 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a right-back for club Newcastle United and the England national team. Trippier started his career in the youth system at Manchester City but ...

formerly at Burnley, Spurs,

Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish profess ...

and now at

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

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 and City in the Community programme in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. 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 The club also launched an instructional video website aimed at helping the new skills of prospective footballers City announced on 19 September 2011 that they would build an 80-acre training facility, known since as the City Football Academy to cater for around 400 youth players at a time, the campus was opened on 8 December 2014, and has since become the base for all senior and youth Manchester City men's and women's teams.

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 they are selected to play for the MCFC first team in either a friendly or competitive game.

Current squad

Academy Manager history

Academy graduates (1998–present)

:These are the academy players who have made at least one competitive appearance for the Manchester City first team. :Academy graduates who still play for Manchester City, including those that are currently out on loan to other clubs, are highlighted in blue. :''Updated 1 September 2022''

Retired from playing or unattached players

Active players

Honours

Elite Development Squad

**Winners (2):

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

, 2021–22 *

Premier League International Cup The Premier League International Cup is an English football competition for U23 players from across Europe. It was designed to provide players in English Category One academies with the opportunity to match themselves against other elite European ...

**Winners (1): 2014–15 *

The Central League The Central League is a football league for reserve teams, primarily from the English Football League. For sponsorship purposes, it was branded as the Final Third Development League until the 2015/16 season. The league was formed in 1911 and ...

**Winners (4): 1977–78, 1986–87, 1999–00, 2007–08 *

**Winners (6): 1920–21, 1922–23, 1927–28, 1929–30, 1952–53, 1973–74

Academy

FA Youth Cup The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. It ...

**Winners (3):

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

* U-18 Professional Development League **Northern Division Champions (9) 1997–98, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22 **National Champions: (4) 2015–16, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22 *U-18 Premier League Cup **Winners (2): 2018–19, 2019–20

Notes

References

External links

Manchester City official website
– Academy
Manchester City Official website
– ''Cityecademy''
The Manchester City academy way
– ''These Football Times'' (2016) {{DEFAULTSORT:Manchester City F.C. Reserves And Academy Reserves Football academies in England Lancashire Combination Lancashire League (football) Premier League International Cup UEFA Youth League teams NextGen series