Manchester City are close to matching Barcelona’s La Masia says Pep Guardiola in glowing praise of Nico development | OneFootball

Nico Gonzalez’s development at Barcelona’s infamous La Masia has come under the microscope this week with Pep Guardiola discussing the advantage that brings.

The City Football Academy (CFA) has become one of the most productive and successful football development pathways in European football since its opening in December 2014, become the new home of all of Manchester City’s teams including their first-team squad.

Pep Guardiola in particular has overseen the rise of a number of homegrown talents from the CFA into his first-team squad, with the finest example being Phil Foden – who has gone on to register over 300 appearances for the senior side.

Other notable names have gone on from developing through the CFA age groups before excelling elsewhere in the game, with the likes of Jadon Sancho and Cole Palmer starring at Chelsea, with Liam Delap at Ipswich Town.

Speaking during a recent press conference, Pep Guardiola was quizzed on the advantage that comes with developing at Barcelona’s La Masia academy for a player who goes on to join Manchester City, as seen in the case of new defensive midfield recruit, Nico.

“Barcelona’s academy is something extraordinary that I think this club (Manchester City) made an incredible, incredible step closer to there, especially for the learning at early ages to talk about the fundamentals,” Guardiola said.

He continued in further depth, “In sport always it’s physicality, but as quick as possible when they’re seven, eight, nine, 10 years-old to talk about body shape, control at which feet, pass at the right foot for your mate and reading the situation, they help you starting from early.

“And Nico was there when he was at the Barcelona academy and a generation – one of the best players – playing in a Barcelona team and maybe he was not there for many times because sometimes when you have the position that maybe (Sergio) Busquets is there, maybe Pedri is there, maybe top, top players are there and you don’t have that space.

“And sometimes young players when they arrive and nobody is there, it’s easier to do it. And that’s why maybe with Nico, but the quality is there and I think he made a step up, especially at Porto.”

Discussing the development that Nico has since undergone having left Barcelona for Porto, before going on to Manchester City at the end of the last January transfer window, Guardiola said, “I think (Sergio) Conceicao helped a lot to mature, to bring his game something that maybe he didn’t have, and especially playing regularly and playing like you have to win the Portuguese league, that you have to compete in Europe, because Porto every season players in Europe.

“And we’ve followed him for a long time and I think when he was in the Barcelona academy we tried to bring him here, it was not possible, and at the end the situation that we have, that we were looking for many, many times since a few months, since Rodri was injured, he came.

“And especially for that all the players are so young, so they’re for the next six, seven years, so that’s why it’s nice for the club.”