Manchester City will resist efforts to allow Liam Delap out on loan for the second half of the season as he works his way back to full fitness.
Tommy Doyle and Taylor Harwood-Bellis are among the young talents to have moved to other clubs for more game time in January, signing for Championship clubs Cardiff and Stoke respectively in the January transfer window.
A host of clubs in the same division were eyeing Delap at the start of the campaign after rave reviews about the young striker, who blasted a record 24 goals in the Premier League 2 last year.
Pep Guardiola was keen to try the youngster out in pre-season, but injury sidelined the player and scuppered his opportunity to impress.
Further issues have seen Delap play just four academy games this season, although he returned to full training this week as he nears another comeback to raise hopes that he could put his injury woes behind him.
City expect that return to be in Manchester rather than elsewhere on loan, with the plan for him to build back his fitness in Under-23 matches as well as training with the first team squad and the ambition to contribute to the first team in the second half of the campaign.
Delap is the only recognised centre-forward in the City squad as things stand. But not only do City intend to sign a No.9 as a priority in the summer transfer window but they have also topped the Premier League scoring charts again in spite of their absence of traditional strikers.
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