Change is needed at Manchester City. That much is obvious given the disappointing 2024-25 campaign that has seen Pep Guardiola's side meekly hand over the Premier League title and exit the Champions League with a whimper. Of course, the expectation is that the club will now bring out the wallet to solve their problems, but a serious transfer market splurge may not be required.
It may not be obvious from the outside, but ever since Abu Dhabi United Group takeover, City have been investing in their academy system, with that focus having borne fruit in recent years - the emergence of the likes of Rico Lewis, James McAtee and, of course, Phil Foden are testament to that, while Nico O'Reilly and Jahmai Simpson-Pusey have both made their Premier League debuts this season.
But the well hasn't dried up. Far from it - Guardiola need only look at the youth teams at City for clear signs of progress. Their Under-18s are flying high at the top of the Premier League table, scoring 69 goals in 20 matches and only conceding 14 along the way. They're FA Youth Cup holders, and are through to the semi-final of this season's competition, while their EDS side are also at the summit of the Premier League 2 table.
It all points to the fact that there's serious talent coming through at the Etihad - and, ahead of a busy summer for the first team that incorporates their involvement in the Club World Cup, GOAL takes a look at some of those young stars who could be about to make their breakthrough and help a significant rebuild project become that bit easier.
