Liam Delap may have to leave Manchester City to get the playing time he wants next season, club legend Paul Dickov has hinted.
Delap has struggled with injury this season, but has returned in 2022 and made three senior appearances in February. He remains City's only natural striker this season, although the Blues have already signed Julian Alvarez to join the club in the summer.
If Erling Haaland, or another senior striker, was to sign in the summer, then Delap may see his game time chances limited further, and Dickov has suggested the young striker may have to reassess his options next season.
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Speaking to MEN Sport on behalf of OLBG, Dickov was discussing what Delap must do to become a regular at City along with academy teammates Cole Palmer and James McAtee.
"I think they just need to keep doing what they're doing right now," Dickov said of the trio who are regulars in senior training.
"I know for a fact that they've all been training with the first team for a long time because that's something Pep likes to do. Phil Foden is a prime example, people wanted him out on loan because he wasn't playing a lot but he was managed properly.
"They're doing the same with Cole, James and Liam at the minute, so the most important thing for those guys is to just keep on learning and be patient.
"Palmer and McAtee are similar to Foden in the sense that they can play in multiple positions. They're naturally gifted and really clever in the way they pick up space in between the lines.
"Palmer as we've seen already can play as a false number nine, he can play out wide and can drop in as a number ten as can McAtee. I think they've just got to be patient and look at Phil Foden as the pathway into the first team.
"If Pep Guardiola didn't like these players, then they wouldn't be there, so he obviously see's something in them to have them in and around the squad.
"The biggest thing for me is that these lads are training with some very talented players, and you can't help but not learn off them. The one thing City have got is a good core of experienced players to help the younger guys; you've got to earn the respect of the senior players straight away."
On Delap, however, Dickov suggested he may have to consider a different development path to Palmer and McAtee.
"Liam Delap is different to the other two, he's an out and out centre forward, great in the air and adapts well to the physical side of things," Dickov said.
"He brings something different; he might have to look at things with potential signings coming in, but he's there now so he has a chance to impress. He's been in and around for the past few years, so he needs to look at things positively."
Whatever happens with Delap, Dickov advised all three youngsters to follow the path of Foden and trust in Guardiola even if they feel they are not getting the chances they deserve.
He explained: "A few years ago, I went away to a pre-season game with City and there was a 16-year-old named Phil Foden there. The first couple of training sessions amazed me because you had the likes of Vincent Kompany, David Silva, Kevin de Bruyne and Sergio Aguero and they would all give the ball to Phil Foden every time they had the ball.
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"That was a massive thing for me because if you don't have that trust from the senior players, then you're not getting the ball. The fact that they kept giving Phil the ball at the time said a lot and it's the exact same with these youngsters in that first team environment.
"They're all there for a reason, they're good enough, so they've just got to be patient because there's no doubt, they're talented boys."
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