Manchester City striker could be ready for Etihad Stadium exit, reveals head coach | OneFootball

One of Manchester City’s most highly-rated young forwards could now be ready for an exit from the club in order to step into senior football more regularly.

That is the latest line of reporting building up to what is widely anticipated to be a busy summer transfer window for Manchester City both in terms of big-money arrivals and notable exits from Pep Guardiola’s first-team squad and the Academy ranks.

Interest in the club’s next batch of exciting talents has only been further heightened this season after the club’s Elite Development Squad, or Under-23s, reached the culmination of the Premier League 2 Finals having topped the initial league phase.

Among the names to have grabbed the attention of many clubs throughout England and further afield are the likes of Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, Stephen Mfuni, Divine Mukasa, as well as Reigan Heskey.

However, the lead striker for the club – who has also scored his first senior goal for Manchester City in the process this season – is likely facing a crossroads in his career as he looks to follow in the footsteps of Liam Delap.

Speaking during a recent conversation with BBC Sport, Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad head coach Ben Wilkinson spoke at length about what the future holds for striker Divin Mubama following a stellar season across the club’s age groups.

“We’ve got players in our team we’d expect not to see next year because they’re ready to make that step and he (Mubama) is probably one of them,” Wilkinson said. “It’s trying to help with that next step and guide them in the right direction.”

The Manchester City coach continued, “We’ve had it the last three, four, five years with some real high potential players from the 18s and 21s and now they’re playing on our TV screens every other week.

“The problem is it’s been notoriously hard for young strikers to go out on loan and succeed in the Championship or League One. You used to have someone next to you and now you’re a 19, 20-year-old number nine up against two big centre halves and the service might not be great.”

Many would expect Mubama to leave the club this summer in search of first-team opportunities despite a promising showing when called upon by Pep Guardiola in the FA Cup third round win over Salford City earlier this year.

Following the signing of Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt during the January transfer window, a pathway into the striking roles of the club is largely blocked by the Egyptian alongside the ever-present Erling Haaland.

For now, it remains to be seen just how much Manchester City could demand for a player of Mubama’s promise and quality, while also it remaining unknown what calibre of club will come calling for the former West Ham United Academy starlet.