Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has opened up on his decision to keep James McAtee at the club despite interest from Championship side Leeds United.
Leeds United CEO Angus Kinnear revealed the England youth international was among a number of potential targets to bolster Daniel Farke’s squad last summer. However, they failed to agree a deal with Manchester City.
Having spent the last two seasons on loan with Sheffield United, McAtee has shown his quality in both the Championship and Premier League.
Guardiola was not happy with McAtee’s performances in the early part of pre-season has now revealed why he stopped the youngster from going on loan.
James McAtee
According to Guardiola, he held talks with City sporting director Txiki Begiristain to make it clear McAtee should not be allowed to leave on loan.
“It is difficult to find players with a sense of goal in small spaces who attack the final third and McAtee has that quality,” Guardiola told the Manchester Evening News. “That’s why I said to Txiki at the beginning of the season that I don’t want to loan him and I don’t want to sell him because I need his specific quality in small spaces. James has this ability.
“I have to see them and the first games I didn’t like it much and I told him afterwards: ‘Your impact in the game is not big, I want more.’ After, he did well and his impact was really good.
“He is a player who came from the academy, he knows all the processes and how he moves in the pockets. His period at Sheffield United helped him a lot to give value and suffer to get points, physicality, win duels, this kind of stuff that normally they don’t do in the City academy. It helped him a lot playing there.”
James McAtee was back in Man City starting eleven when they faced Watford in the third-round Carabao Cup clash. He will be eager to see more game time as the season progress.
