Josep Guardiola will undoubtedly be credited with plucking exciting young talent from Manchester City’s academy. The Spaniards certainly rely heavily on academy graduates, with the Citizens’ youth teams producing some of the best up-and-coming players in world football.
Of course, it was Guardiola who gave Cole Palmer his first foray into professional football, but the England international left for Chelsea in 2023. Guardiola’s greatest raw star at the Etihad Stadium was Phil Foden, who played 327 games for his boyhood club.
Nico O’Reilly has recently featured in the first team.
Why Pep Guardiola loves O’Reilly at Man City
There’s a lot to like about 20-year-old Manchester star Nico O’Reilly. He has shone so far in his short career at City and was rewarded with a call-up to Thomas Tuchel’s England squad, although he did not feature in any games.
So far, the youngster has made 30 appearances at first-team level for his boyhood club. He has five goals and three assists in that time.
O’Reilly started the final four Premier League games of the 2025/26 season.
The youngster has made a big impression on Guardiola, with the Spaniard explaining that he is “helping us a lot” in the first team before admitting he is “taking every chance” to make a positive impression at City.
It’s easy to understand what the long-time City boss means when he says things like this. O’Reilly is like a Swiss Army knife, capable of operating in multiple positions.
The No. 10 player was traded for City, and has often played as a left-back, midfielder and even a centre-forward.
The versatility O’Reilly brings will be important for Guardiola’s side. In many ways, his emergence has vaulted him over top players of similar profile.
Manchester City star is on loan
Guardiola himself summed it up perfectly, explaining that O’Reilly grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
It’s easy to see him as a near-indispensable member of the group now, and his call-up to the England squad only further cements that.
However, O’Reilly’s role in the first team has meant that Rico Ruiz’s appearances have been reduced this season. The 20-year-old full-back is also a graduate of City’s academy and has featured extensively since breaking out as a full-back in the 2022/23 season.
In fact, the Bury-born star has just reached 100 games for his boyhood club, reaching the milestone against Burnley last month.
He has scored five goals and provided 10 assists for the Citizens so far, including a goal in last season’s FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest.
Described as a “serious talent” by football statistician Statman Dave, Lewis, like O’Reilly, can be used anywhere on the pitch. He primarily plays at right-back, but has also played on the opposite flank and throughout midfield.
Guardiola described Luiz as City’s “little Philipp Lahm”, as he plays as a right-back and has the ability to move inside as a midfielder when his team has the ball. But since O’Reilly broke through, we’ve seen his game time reduced, perhaps due to the similarities of the players.
Comparing his stats to last season in the Premier League, it’s easy to see why Guardiola prefers O’Reilly.
The Manchester star outperformed Luiz in several key metrics, although the latter completed more forward passes – 11.9 compared to 11.
Lewis vs O’Reilly | ||
|---|---|---|
State (per 90) | Lewis | o’reilly |
An opportunity has arisen | 0.3 | 0.7 |
forward pass | 11.9 | 11 |
Take-up completed | 0.5 | 1.6 |
won a duel | 3.8 | 4.8 |
Number of balls collected | 4.6 | 5.3 |
Squawka statistics | ||
Perhaps Luiz is on borrowed time at City. He was leapfrogged in the standings by players of the same age and with a very similar profile. If the situation continues like this, it will be difficult for him to decide the ranking.
He was a transfer target for a number of Premier League clubs last summer, with Nottingham Forest thought to have made an offer.
If his lack of game time continues, he will likely seek a move away from his boyhood club.
