Revealed: Four Academy names upgraded into Manchester City first-team training action | OneFootball

Manchester City’s post-Brentford training session featured four fresh names from their academy system, it has been confirmed following the release of new photos.

Pep Guardiola and his players were recovering from their latest gaining of three points in Premier League action, as the Champions capitalised on Liverpool’s 3-1 defeat to Arsenal away from home to move to within just two points of Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Phil Foden’s hat-trick ensured that Neal Maupay’s first-half opener would not cause an upsetting result for Manchester City, as they maintained a winning streak lasting since their FIFA Club World Cup success.

Now, as revealed by the latest round of Manchester City training photos, it can be confirmed that a quartet of Academy starlets made up of Ashton Muir, Divine Mukasa, Dan Batty, and Charlie Gray all participated in the latest Pep Guardiola-led training session at the CFA.

But who are each of the latest new names to have gained highly-valuable experiences alongside Manchester City’s history-making, Treble-winning squad?

Ashton Muir

The 2005-born, Manchester-raised forward progressed to sign his scholarship with the current Premier League champions in July 2022 after his first registration with the club’s Academy programme aged just eight.

Muir is described as being a “clever, progressive player, capable out-wide as well as in central areas”, and the 2022/23 campaign saw the teenager progress into the Under-18s squad, going on to make 20 appearances, scoring four goals, and providing seven assists.

Divine Mukasa

The London-born midfielder was developed through West Ham’s highly-rated Academy system before being signed by Manchester City in September 2023 and spending the ongoing season with the club’s Under-18s squad.

Mukasa is understood to be a player that “thrives in tight spaces and well capable of scoring and assisting goals” from his midfield ranking.

Dan Batty

Born in nearby Stalybridge, 2006-born Batty is described by Manchester City as being a “creative, attacking midfielder” with a “strong ability to create chances on a regular basis”, joining the club’s Under-18s for the ongoing season.

Charlie Gray

Completing the rise of Academy midfield talents into the first-team set-up this week is Gray – completing a staggering development process after first signing for Manchester City as an eight-year-old and progressing to become a scholar.

Gray is described as having a “calming presence” in the centre of the park with an “excellent range of passing”, testing himself at Under-18s level in the 2022/23 season, and returning to Ben Wilkinson’s squad for the ongoing campaign.