Liam Delap will be loaned out by Manchester City before the end of the transfer window, Pep Guardiola has confirmed, as he is too good for academy football.
Delap, 19, has scored 45 goals and registered 16 assists for City at academy level in 54 appearances across three seasons, including 24 goals in the Premier League 2 title-winning campaign in 2020/21. He has been around the first team for over a year, although his progress last season was hampered with a number of injuries.
Now, Guardiola said he is in the process of securing a loan move out, with plenty of Championship and Premier League clubs linked with his signing this summer.
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With Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez arriving at City this summer, first team opportunities will be limited for Delap, with Guardiola explaining that the club don't see any value in him dropping down to the under-21 squad anymore.
"We loaned Macca McAtee, Liam is in that process because we have Erling and Julian and he needs minutes," Guardiola said, adding that defenders Luke Mbete, Josh Wilson-Esbrand and Rico Lewis will all remain at the club this season.
"The EDS process has gone, is done [for Delap]. He has to try and go there and play and the other ones. Luke Mbete, Rico, Josh will be with us, tomorrow [Sunday] will play with second team and train with us every day."
The young trio did feature for the Elite Development Squad on Sunday as Guardiola said, with Delap not included in the squad as Brian Barry-Murphy's side beat Leicester 3-1. And Guardiola added that City's smaller squad this season means those youth players will have to be ready to play a part when the fixture list becomes more congested.
"Now we have 14 players available because Kalvin [Phillips], Cole [Palmer] and Aymer [Laporte] are injured," Guardiola said after City's win over Bournemouth, that saw Lewis come off the bench late on for his debut.
"Josh could have played perfectly, I saw that against Bayern Munich and in every training session. He can play with us without a problem. Rico is younger, just 17, but has special quality with the ball and is so intelligent and also I wanted Kyle [Walker] to have a standing ovation from our people. It is good to start this season and they are there.
"We trust a lot, or they wouldn’t be there. When the season becomes tougher, in terms of games every few days and injuries, they have to be ready because the opportunity comes once or twice and you have to be ready."
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