James McAtee’s Manchester City career is symptomatic of modern academy football

The changing landscape of Premier League football means that even captaining England's Under-21s to European Championship success is no longer a guarantee of a significant future at a top club, due to large squads full of internationals and financial rules favouring academy sales.

James McAtee's expected departure from Manchester City exemplifies this high bar. Despite lifting the trophy with England last month, his omission from City's Club World Cup squad in favour of attending the U21 Euros signaled his perceived position in the pecking order.

Having joined City at under-11 level and made 34 senior appearances after a successful two-year loan at Sheffield United, McAtee's first full season as a squad player yielded 27 appearances and 7 goals. However, this wasn't enough to convince manager Pep Guardiola he merited a place on the Club World Cup trip, especially after City signed Rayan Cherki, further crowding competition for places on the right flank and in attacking midfield.

While City value McAtee, they don't see him as integral to their plans, evidenced by strong interest from clubs like Eintracht Frankfurt and Nottingham Forest. City are mindful of the recent sale of Cole Palmer to Chelsea for £40m, which now appears a bargain after Palmer's subsequent success, including a match-winning performance in the Club World Cup final. This has caused trepidation at City about potentially repeating a mistake.

Consequently, City will demand a fee reflecting McAtee's potential profile and will likely insist on protective clauses like a buy-back option in any deal, determined not to undervalue another academy product again.