Manchester City’s next batch of wonderkids confirmed as 12 Academy stars sign scholarships ahead of 2024/25 season

The next batch of rising stars at Manchester City have now emerged ahead of the 2024/25 season, with the confirmation of 12 Academy stars and signed scholarships.

The confirmation of Manchester City’s scholarships comes as a number of stars continue their work with the first-team group in the United States, as Pep Guardiola gets a rare opportunity to work up close and personal with the future of the club on a consistent basis.

Manchester City are without a number of their key first-team stars for the tour of the US over the ongoing three-week period Stateside, and as such, coaching staff have granted opportunities to a large contingent of rising Academy talents.

The move to include relatively inexperienced names in the first-team group over the summer will come as a huge boost to the younger names working their way through the ages at the City Football Academy, knowing that there is in fact a clear pathway through to the senior squad.

Now, as announced by Manchester City this week, the City Football Academy has seen a total of 12 players sign scholarships ahead of the start of the upcoming 2024/25 season, providing a clear indication as to which names are most highly-rated by club decision makers.

All taking the next steps in their developing football careers are: Kaden Braithwaite, Seth Chingwaro, Charlie Courtman, Leke Drake, Reigan Heskey, Max Hudson, Jayden Lienou, Stephen Mfuni, Kylan Midwood, Tyrone Samba, Oliver Tevenan, and Oliver Whatmuff.

City explain that the scholarship means that all 12 players are now on full-time schedules with the Premier League champions, receiving a Manchester City cap after signing their scholarship deals in front of family and friends at a scholar signing event over the summer.

But who are the 12 players that have signed exciting scholarship deals with Manchester City?

Stephen Mfuni was the youngest player in the Under-18 squad, aged 15 across 2023/24, featuring in Premier League 2, the UEFA Youth League, and FA Youth Cup, and is now experiencing first-team action with Pep Guardiola’s first-team in the USA as a 16-year-old.

Reigan Heskey, who is the brother of last season’s Under-18s captain Jaden, made his debut in the UEFA Youth League, and alongside Kaden Braithwaite, Seth Chingwaro, Leke Drake, Tyrone Samba and Oliver Whatmuff, has already had tastes of Under-18s football.

As for Charlie Courtman, Max Hudson, Jayden Lienou, Kylan Midwood and Oliver Tevenan, all will be gaining their first experience of Under-18s football under new Lead Coach Oliver Reiss in the upcoming 2024/25 season, as confirmed by Manchester City.

Among the names to have firmly made the step up from Manchester City’s Academy system to the first-team group are the likes of Oscar Bobb, Rico Lewis, and most recently, James McAtee – whom Pep Guardiola has made clear he would like to retain for the upcoming season.

All three names have bided their time when it comes to opportunities under Pep Guardiola, and that patience appears to have paid dividends as the 2024/25 campaign approaches and coaching staff begin to finalise their plans for the season.

Aside from Bobb, Lewis, and McAtee, there are a whole range of players that are being seriously considered by Guardiola and his coaching colleagues as the next run of players to successfully make it into the first-team picture.

They include Callum Doyle, who returned to City off the back of yet another successful loan spell in the Football League. While the 20-year-old is being heavily tipped to join Norwich City on loan this summer, he remains earmarked as a player with an Etihad Stadium future.