Two Nigeria-eligible teenagers trained with Manchester City's first team ahead of today's eagerly anticipated English Premier League clash against Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium, allnigeriasoccer.com reports.
City coach Pep Guardiola has been running the rule over Felix Nmecha and Gavin Bazunu with a view to their inclusion in the matchday twenty this evening.
Manchester Evening News has published photos of the Citizens penultimate training session showing Nmecha contesting for the ball with Riyad Mahrez and Bazunu in goal.
An attacking midfielder, Nmecha, 19, made his professional debut for the current Premier League champions in a League Cup clash against Burton Albion in January 2019 and was an unused substitute vs Hoffeheim in the Champions League last term, while Bazunu, 18, traveled with the first team to Japan for pre-season training but didn't taste action.
Guardiola name-checked Nmecha among the promising youngsters who are in contention to feature for the first team.
Speaking to reporters at Tuesday's pre-match press conference, the Spanish football tactician stated : "Due to a lack of being tested - all the staff and players - because before it was 50 or 45, we called the academy players that live in Manchester or close to Manchester.
"We didn’t want to call players who live in Spain and Holland to come here and be isolated so that is why we called these players.
"We didn’t want to call players who live in Spain and Holland to come here and be isolated so that is why we called these players.
"We started with Cole, Taylor, Felix Nmecha. We have players that have trained with us and they have trained incredibly well.
"We try to survive with the players we have in the first team but if we need them we have these five or six players - no more because we didn’t have the opportunity to call on more players to do more tests."
England youth international Nmecha appeared in four Premier League 2 games during the 2019-2020 season while Bazunu is Man City U23s first choice goalkeeper.
Ifeanyi Emmanuel
Photo Credit : Manchester City/Getty Images/M.E.N
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