Six players that Man City boss Pep Guardiola could have put on the bench

Published on: 03 February 2018

English Premier League: Johann Gudmundsson (83') Burnley 1-1 Man City

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola drew plenty of criticism for naming only six substitutes for the game against Burnley on Saturday.

City have spent over £450 million since their manager's arrival in England but were without seven first-team players through illness and injury for the trip to Turf Moor, while teenage striker Lukas Nmecha, who has just been promoted to train with the first team, was not fully fit.

Here are six players that could have taken that extra place on the City bench.

Arijanet Muric

Third-choice goalkeeper Arijanet Muric travelled with the squad to Burnley but was not included in the 18-man squad. The 19-year-old Swiss took a senior position in City's Champions League squad earlier in the season but now qualifies for Europe as a homegrown player having been at the Etihad Stadium for two years. He has never been part of a matchday squad yet. Muric played for City's EDS team against Swansea under-23s on Friday night.

Tom Dele-Bashiru

The 18-year-old has been with City since he was just six and was given a surprise first-team debut in the Carabao Cup victory over Leicester City in December. The midfielder was a 91st minute substitute but stayed on the pitch for another 30 minutes when the Foxes equalised in the 98th minute. He earned praised from Guardiola for his performance in extra time -- helping City to a penalty shootout victory on their run to Wembley. He also played for the EDS.

Joel Latibeaudiere

Along with injured City teammate Phil Foden, Latibeaudiere was one of the standout performers of England's success at the Under-17 World Cup. The defender captained the national team in India having already impressed in City's run to the FA Youth Cup final in the past two years. Guardiola did already have two centre-backs -- club-record signing Aymeric Laporte and youngster Tosin Adarabioyo -- on the bench against Burnley and Latibeaudiere also played for the EDS.

Pep Guardiola's bench looked very thin against Burnley.

Taylor Richards

The 17-year-old midfielder is a highly-rated prospect, with French champions Monaco reportedly already making a €500,000 offer for him. He was added to City's "B squad" list for the Champions League on Friday. He has played for the England U17s and has been tipped as a star of the future.

Eric Garcia

The Spain U17 international is another highly-rated defender in the City Academy. He was schooled at Barcelona's famous La Masia before leaving to join City in a reported £1.3m deal. Barca were apparently furious to lose him, as he was described as the new Gerard Pique, while he will also be able to take lessons from his agent Carles Puyol. Another to play for the EDS on Friday.

Rabi Matondo

The Wales U17 international was signed from Cardiff City and is seen as the most exciting young player to emerge in the Welsh ranks for some time. He's lightning quick and skilful but is still young and needs to develop before being ready for the Premier League. He also played in the EDS defeat to Swansea.

Jonathan is ESPN FC's Manchester City correspondent. Follow him on Twitter: @jonnysmiffy.

Comments

Use a Facebook account to add a comment, subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook name, photo & other personal information you make public on Facebook will appear with your comment, and may be used on ESPN's media platforms. Learn more.

Source: espn.co.uk

Comments