McAtee stars amid uncertainty around his future as Grealish ends goal drought: Five talking points from Man City 8-0 Salford | OneFootball

There was no fairytale giant-killing as Manchester City did everything they needed to do in order to get past Salford City with ease, in a game that played out in a predictable manner.

Three goals to the good by half time, City did not relent in the second half, going on to win 8-0 to progress to the FA Cup fourth round. James McAtee scored a hat-trick, Jeremy Doku netted a double and there were also goals from Divin Mubama, Nico O’Reilly and Jack Grealish.

Here are five talking points from City’s comfortable night…

McAtee minutes

James McAtee has been strongly linked with an exit from the Etihad this January, having had a lack of minutes this season. The England U21 international was awarded a start by Pep Guardiola against Salford and he did not disappoint, scoring his first goal at the Etihad in the 62nd minute before going on to complete a second half hat trick by the 81st minute. McAtee already has plenty of admirers and none of them will have been put off by his display today, and there has been plenty to suggest City might regret letting him go.

Mubama debut

Divina Mubama was a highly touted prospect in the West Ham academy, playing a key role in their 2023 FA Youth Cup victory. He attracted the interest of Man City and left London when his contract expired last summer. The Salford game was his first opportunity in the first team and the striker was energetic throughout, marking his debut with a goal in the 20th minute. He certainly looks like one to watch.

Grealish ends City goal drought

Jack Grealish provided an early assist in the 8th minute, before winning and converting a penalty at the beginning  of the second half. This goal was Grealish’s first for the club since December 2023, having not found the net for the Blues in an entire calendar year. The quality of the opposition should be kept in mind but it was still good to see the England international back on the scoresheet for Guardiola’s side. Grealish ended the game with a second assist in the 81st minute, a performance he will look to build on.

The end for Walker?

City have had a torrid time recently but club captain Kyle Walker has had a particularly poor season. The right-back has started in just one Premier League victory for the champions so far this season. At yesterday’s press conference Guardiola answered “I don’t know” when asked about the possibility of Walker heading to Saudi Arabia this January. Today he was left out of the squad for tactical reasons. Having spent the past eight seasons at the Etihad and winning six Premier League titles, the writing may be on the wall now for Walker. Pep Guardiola then went onto reveal after the game that he has asked to explore options to leave the club.

Salford cannot let this derail their season

Salford came into the game off the back of a strong run of form and sitting third in League Two. They sold out their away allocation of 5,187, which is larger than their record home attendance of 4,591 and than their home ground’s capacity of 5,108 at the Etihad, and although they did not get the result they would have dreamt of, the focus now turns back to their more important league campaign.