Pep Guardiola
Manchester City look set to disappoint a clutch of Championship clubs as Pep Guardiola claimed that Liam Delap will be staying at the Etihad this season regardless of whether they sign a new striker. The City boss claimed that there have been more requests to take Delap for this season than he has known for any player in the last five years, and the 18-year-old – who signed a new deal keeping him at the club until 2026 on Friday – has already shown enough to suggest he can thrive in men’s football by scoring on his debut for the Blues and smashing the Under-23 goalscoring record. Guardiola insisted that the young striker is one of a number of prospects that will train with him this season rather than head out on loan.
Pep Guardiola said: “He’s going to train with us if a striker comes or doesn’t come,” he said. “He’s going to train with us all the season. Him and Cole Palmer, [James] McAtee, [Luke] Mbete, Romeo Lavia. There are five or six players who will be with us the whole season, the same way we have done with Tommy Doyle – who is looking forward to being on loan – like Phil [Foden] when he arrived and started to play with us, he played with the second team then played with us. It’s the best way to help their development because the problem in the academies today here in England, the distance between the first team competition in the Premier League and the competition they play is too big. It’s really big and it’s difficult to promote them from here. That’s the best way with the players we believe have potential – like Sam Edozie, another guy – those guys are going to be with us.”
Delap could have enjoyed more first team minutes this season but suffered a foot injury that forced him to miss the beginning of the campaign. While the teenager is closing in on a return to fitness, Guardiola was disappointed that luck prevented him from being able to see Delap in action during pre-season but is looking forward to having him back in training.
Pep Guardiola said: “It was a pity because he arrived in pre-season and the first day he was injured, and he has been injured so far, he’s still injured. He could not train one training [session] with us and the three friendly games we played against Barnsley, against the other teams he was injured. It was a good opportunity to see him but we know him quite well. He’s an exceptional striker. Many teams want him, maybe he’s the most requested player we have had since we arrived but we count on him, he’s going to train with us and it depends what’s going to happen this season, if he has minutes or maybe we decide on another option. But right now, Liam has to recover from his injury, still not play but after start to the train with us.”
