With several of Manchester City's senior players only recently returning to training after their extended summer break following Euro 2024, a quartet of their youngsters started against Manchester United in the FA Community Shield.

The names included Rico Lewis, Nico O'Reilly, James McAtee and Oscar Bobb.

While Lewis and Bobb have played a fair amount of first-team football, O'Reilly and McAtee were being handed big breaks by starting proceedings at Wembley Stadium.

Manchester City's youthful pairing would have been delighted to end up on the winning side against Manchester United as their boyhood club emerged victorious in a 7-6 win on penalties after the game ended 1-1 after 90 minutes.

Recently, Pep Guardiola claimed McAtee will be in City's first-team squad as well, following his two consecutive loan spells at Sheffield United.

Guardiola reveals special McAtee request after Man City beat Manchester United The 21-year-old started in his favoured number 10 position against Manchester United on paper.

However, Pep Guardiola seemingly gave him several instructions ahead of the clash.

The Englishman often took up the position of a left-back to emerge as a passing option when City were trying to play out from the back.

But as the Sky Blues forayed forward, the youngster drifted out to a left-sided attacking midfield position.

After O'Reilly, who often played in the Salford-born attacker's number 10 position was taken off, he was deployed as a natural number 10.

As Manchester City earned a hard-fought victory against Manchester United on Saturday, Pep Guardiola revealed that he specifically requested Txiki Begiristain that McAtee should neither be sold or loaned this summer.

The PS378,846-a-week manager said via HaytersTV: "But when you find players in the small spaces, [who can] attack the final third, the sense of goal, it's difficult to find this type of player and [James] McAtee has this quality.

""That's why I said to Txiki [Begiristain] at the beginning of the season, I don't want to loan him, I don't want to sell him because I need him.

He has specific qualities and Macca has this ability.

"Huge show of faith from Pep Guardiola in James McAtee The highly-rated midfielder perhaps did not shine as bright as another young attacker did against United such as Bobb.

McAtee, hailed as "fantastic" by Ben Foster - however, did go about his business quietly and had a solid outing in what was a massive oscassion for himRegardless, for Pep Guardiola to reveal that he specially requested for the silky technician to be kept at City is a huge show of faith in him.

Guardiola evidently rates McAtee very highly and much like others like Bobb, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden, he thrives when being handed the ball in tight areas.

The City academy graduate will be determined to showcase his quality in this respect after the Catalan's latest claim about him after winning his third Community Shield during his eight-year tenure.

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