Manchester City Youngster Loaned To Bolton Wanderers: Should Guardiola Have Kept Him At Eithad? | OneFootball

According to a report from Manchester Evening News, it was stated that Manchester City have loaned out Luke Mbete once again as he’ll now play for Bolton Wanderers for the remaining season. It is understood that the Sky Blues have fitness concerns in their defensive department and have not signed a replacement for Joao Cancelo after he signed a temporary agreement with Bayern Munich in a shock exit.

Mbete’s Loan Spell At Huddersfield For The First-Half Of This Season

Mbete struggled for opportunities with the Championship side but managed to put in a few influential displays for them in the defensive third. The young defender failed to find the back of the net or create an assist over six appearances for Huddersfield but did well to provide cover defensively.

The London-born sensation couldn’t make an immediate impact at The John Smith’s stadium as he mostly came off the bench which explains why he only averaged 0.3 tackles, 0.2 interceptions and 2.2 clearances per game in the second tier of English football. However, he was tidy when distributing the ball to his teammates after completing 86.8% of his attempted passes in the English second division (stats via whoscored).

Etihad Stadium

Should Guardiola Have Kept Him At Manchester City For The Remainder Of This Season?

The Man City youngster is still on the verge of growing and developing himself, so it would be too soon to bring him back into the first team allowing him to train with the squad at the Etihad Stadium. He has the ability to sense danger quickly and clear his lines but lacks the technique to make crucial interceptions or even time his tackles.

Although City are facing issues in the defensive third with Kyle Walker out of favour and Sergio Gomez struggling to adapt to the Premier League, it is safe to say that Guardiola has enough options on the bench to fall back on. Mbete is better off gaining some more experience and developing his game before he delves into a high level of football.

The 19-year-old has several years to improve his game and if he remains disciplined enough then he could very well make his return to the first team at Manchester City in the foreseeable future.