Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted that City's talented crop of academy players are - for the most part - unlikely to feature in his first team for the foreseeable future, due to the fact that they "don't compete."
In an elaborate but stark explanation, Guardiola all but wrote off England's Premier League 2 as a competition, suggesting academy stars in Spain and Germany have a far greater chance of progression due to sides such as Barcelona 'B' competing alongside senior teams in the Segunda division.
Conversely in England, Guardiola maintains, young players merely play against other young players in front of no fans and 'shake hands' afterwards. This, according to the Spaniard, creates an unassailable gulf between up-and-coming talents and their senior counterparts.
Guardiola did confirm that many of his academy starlets will join City on their pre-season tour and train with the seniors throughout the season, but also maintains that under-23s would be better off playing 'competitive' football in lower divisions than merely training with more established stars.
It makes for rather stark listening for the likes of Irish defender Tyreke Wilson, who has been training with City's first team since the winter but is yet to make his senior debut at the club. Wilson has three years left on his four-year contract with the club.
Journalist: How realistic it is for players from the academy to get a chance in your team
Pep "They don't compete"pic.twitter.com/0x8bIXynDx— The Pep (@GuardiolaTweets) May 30, 2017
