Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says he “should have” begun picking Nico O’Reilly and James McAtee in the starting eleven earlier in the campaign.

The Catalan originally believed the pair weren’t at the required level to play regularly in the Premier League but he now claims he was mistaken:

“Now I reflect why Nico O’Reilly didn’t play in November, December, January, February or James McAtee too.”

“I should have done it! In that moment, I thought maybe they were not ready, and now look what happened. They are ready, that’s why they play.”

O’Reilly and McAtee have taken their opportunities

O’Reilly had featured in the domestic cups but he barely got a look in for league fixtures until he started against Leicester City at the beginning of April. He has now been named in the first eleven for the last six matches.

McAtee, meanwhile, had been given more minutes off the bench in the Premier League but, again, the bulk of his game time had been coming in FA Cup and Carabao Cup ties. Having started 2 of the last 4 league games, things have begun to change for him in that regard.

The City pair have been linked with moves away from the Etihad

Due to their limited number of appearances, other clubs had begun circling O’Reilly and McAtee. The former was the subject of an enquiry from Chelsea at the end of the January transfer window. The approach was knocked back but the Blues’ intentions were clear.

McAtee had also attracted plenty of interest at the start of the season, while there were also rumours that Bayer Leverkusen wanted to include him in a swap deal for Florian Wirtz. However, both now look set for runs in City’s first team.

Find out who is in Manchester City’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here